Kamen Rider War Side Stories Arc 1: The Chaos Insurgency
by maxpower02
Summary: Tie-in prequel with NecroGod's Kamen Rider War. The Chaos Insurgency has always been known as a dangerous mercenary group in Tokusat City, but how did these 5 people meet each other and fight together? And why did they fight? Find out the answers in this first arc of the Kamen Rider War Side Stories!
1. Krishna

**A/N: Hey guys! It's been a while since I've posted a story at this website. Essentially what happened is my creative juices got dried up, I encountered a huge writer's block, and those things combined with my college life leads me to abandon almost all of my story ideas. I'm sorry ne._.**

 **But huge shout out for NecroGod and his Kamen Rider War work, thanks to him and his story I got the inspiration to get back into the game. I'm helping him in developing that story and another new story of his, so you can say I had a hand in their development. Check out his account, he has a lot of great stuff there :D**

 **Speaking of which, my new story is a tie-in to NecroGod's Kamen Rider War work. Since I contributed** _ **a lot**_ **to the story by giving out several OCs there, I thought that while we all wait for the new chapter of Kamen Rider War to come out (Necro's a busy man), I'm going to write side stories for my OCs in the story, a back story for each character if you can say. And we kick-off with the Chaos Insurgency, a group of mercenaries who seek to stop the war in secret as they fight for the Riders who paid for their services. And also I'm going to reveal the connection between the CI members and my other OCs.**

 **P.S. I strongly recommend you to read NecroGod's Kamen Rider War before you read this. Otherwise you wouldn't get the story :p**

 **Alright, without further ado, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any other series that I crossover.**

 **xxx**

Two armored warriors are busy battling it out in front of small shopping complex, with a purple haired girl watching the battle from the sidelines, her knees trembling in fear as her turquoise eyes followed the movement of one of the warriors, biting her lower lip every time that warrior got hit. The warrior in question was themed after a European knight; his bodysuit (called the Ride Wear) is colored red with silver chainmail on the torso and silver armoring on the arms and legs. The warrior's armor was yellow and themed after a banana, the shoulders were pointed like the tips of a banana, and the chest and back armor were folded. The warrior's helmet had a grill-like covering over the visor, which was yellow, while two curved horns stuck out from the sides of the helmet, also colored yellow.

The warrior's opponent has a black bodysuit and purple armor themed after a cobra, and is armed with a sword with a drill-shaped blade, the blade itself colored gold, just like the cobra-themed highlighting on the warrior's armor. The cobra warrior slashed his sword on the banana warrior's chest, forcing the latter to his back, his peeled banana-shaped spear falling out of his grip. Seeing that he is disarmed, the banana warrior struggled to pick up his spear, only for the cobra warrior to kick the spear away from his reach, before the cobra warrior places his left foot over the banana warrior's back, effectively pinning him.

"Oy oy, what's the matter, mate?" asked the cobra warrior with an Australian accent, his black visor making contact with the banana warrior's own, "Is that what you've got?!"

As the girl watched on in horror, the cobra warrior kicked the banana warrior repeatedly, earning groans of pain from the latter. Pain raging wildly throughout his body, the banana warrior slowly tried to reach his right hand out towards the girl, as if signaling her to get out of the area as quick as possible…

 _ **My name is Krishna Sadhana. 19 years old. I'm from Indonesia, but I'm lucky enough to attend college in Japan. Well as you can say, apart from studying abroad I had a pretty average life.**_ _**Until that fateful day, that is…**_

 **xxx**

 _ **KAMEN RIDER WAR – THE SIDE STORIES**_

 **xxx**

 **(Cue Opening: Virtue and Vice – Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas)**

 **(Instrumentals)** _The screen opens to reveal a close-up of Kamen Rider Baron. As the guitar begins to riff, the screen alternates between shots of Baron's gauntlets, chest armor, shoulders, back, and Sengoku Driver, before the drum begins to play with the story title appearing in front of a silhouetted Baron, with silhouettes of Duke and Marika standing on Baron's right side, and silhouettes of Zangetsu and Sigurd standing on Baron's left side. A scream was heard as Baron's silhouette raises his Banaspear and slashes the title, rushing into battle with the other four Riders flanking him._

 **(Don't know what's being misunderstood, missiles flying children getting shot)** _Krishna kicked and punched several Elementary Inves at an empty stage, with white strobe lights flashing as he does so, before it ends with Krishna brandishing his Banana Lockseed at the screen._

 **(Swindles everywhere, people who should be the most loved ones, killing each other)** _Chan and Meika standing back to back with each other in front of an orange screen before they walked in opposite directions as a red line began to split the screen, focusing on the girls' stoic faces before focusing on the Melon Lockseed in Chan's hand and Cherry Energy Lockseed in Meika's, before the line slides itself in a diagonal position and splits the screen open to show Wind relaxing underneath a tree, playing the Peach Energy Lockseed in her hand._

 **(Once you keep an eye off, things get stolen)** _The scene shifts to Minh lying in a rather "suggestive" position in a pool of blood, the camera scrolling up from her legs towards her body before reaching her head, the scene then switches to a close-up of Minh's face, her expressionless eyes staring at the Lemon Energy Lockseed in her right hand, a few patches of blood tainting the object._

 **(The world is like this, the world that we don't know, the unknown world)** _The scene switches to an abandoned storage room, with an office table lying in the middle of the room. Two is seen tinkering with her laptop on the table, before she slowly looked up towards the camera, before the scene fades to Kamen Rider Idunn standing against a black background, with the camera filming Idunn's right side, before it switches towards Idunn's front side, with a shroud of grey covering her entire left side. The camera slowly zooms towards Idunn's head which was looking down, before she suddenly lifts up her head, her visor glowing._

 **(Out of our hands, it doesn't matter, covering up, acting like you don't see a thing)** _The scene then changes to Nozomi walking down an alleyway alone on the way to school, before it switches to Nozomi sitting idly as her friends chatted around her, looking out the window as she stared at the clear blue sky outside._

 **(If you think it's a different thing, you won't notice that the world you live in is)** _The scene then switched to the Chaos Insurgency's hideout, where Krishna is staring the clear blue sky from the window of the hideout, while his teammates are busy playing darts on the background. Suddenly an alert message flashed onto Krishna's Y-Gear, prompting everyone to run out of the hideout._

 **(Instrumentals)** _Shots of the Chaos Insurgency members running are shown frame by frame, each lit by a different color (red for Krishna, blue for Minh, pink for Wind, white for Chan, green for Meika, and yellow for Two)._

 **(Look at it, oh yeah!** ) _The scene switches to Kamen Rider Mars stepping out towards a large plaza, several Dark Riders are seen behind him._

 **(The world is all linked together)** _Krishna and the other Chaos Insurgency members ran up towards the incoming Dark Riders, with their Lockseeds in their hands and their Drivers on their waists. Krishna exchanged looks with his teammates, before he unlocks his Banana Lockseed as the screen fades into yellow._

 **(Save our loved ones and the world (** _ **hey hey because breaking**_ **))** _Kamen Riders Sigurd and Gaoh clashed together as Kamen Rider Idunn takes on Kamen Rider Tyrant, both Riders using their Sonic Arrow and Sword Bringer respectively to counter their opponents' respective weapons._

 **((** _ **down the piled wood castle is easy)**_ **These peaceful days lasting is a wish)** _Kamen Rider Zangetsu defends herself with her Melon Defender from an incoming slash courtesy of Kamen Rider Yuuki, before slashing the skeleton Rider with her Musou Saber._

 **(** _ **hey hey these peaceful days, continuing is just like a wish**_ **)** _Kamen Rider Marika is engaged in a shootout with Kamen Rider Psyga, while Kamen Rider Duke takes on Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto in a melee brawl._

 **(Because I have no idea, how many tickets "to live today" are left)** _Kamen Riders Baron and Mars rushed towards each other, performing identical Rider Punches towards one another that sends them stumbling backwards._

 **(Even at the time when you were playing cards, somewhere in this world)** _As the Dark Riders falter back, the Chaos Insurgency Riders gather around, with the Genesis Riders huddling behind Baron, who uses his Banana Sparking to energize his Banaspear. He then stabs the Banaspear onto the ground, creating a series of energy bananas that skewers the Dark Riders as the screen fades into white._

 **(Somebody is crying)** _The scene flashes from white to show Kamen Rider Gaim Yami leading a group of Riders towards the Chaos Insurgency Riders. Baron slowly made his way towards Gaim Yami, the two Riders reaching their hands towards each other, before they finally touch as the scene fades into white and the song ends._

 **xxx**

 **Arc I: The Chaos Insurgency**

 **Chapter I: Krishna**

 **As told from Krishna's point of view**

 **xxx**

 **BEEP BEEP BEEP!**

Ah damn. I was playing in the big stage with my beloved Chelsea Football Club at Stamford Bridge when that godforsaken beeping noise makes me realize that it's all just a dream. Oh well. Today's the first day of classes anyway so I really need to wake up early for my first classes of the new university year.

Oh, I haven't introduced myself, have I? Name's Krishna. Krishna Sadhana. I'm just your average 19 year old guy who is going to embark on his first day as a university student. Having come to Japan from my native Indonesia a few months ago after being accepted to a university there, it took me around three weeks to get myself used to my new surroundings before classes start, and I have to say I quite enjoyed my orientation, made some new friends, learning new things and so on. Today's the first day of classes, and to be honest I can't wait to see the new people who are going to be my classmates.

Slowly I rolled out of bed, took a shower, before getting myself dressed in front of my dorm room's mirror. I wore a blue Chelsea FC jersey, blue denim jeans, before putting on a navy blue jacket over my shirt, since it was quite cold out there, with a pair of black sneakers as a final touch. I applied some hair gel on my short black hair, and styled it into spikes. After I was done with that, I grabbed an egg sandwich that I had bought yesterday night from the fridge, and set off, munching my sandwich on the way to class. I'm a skinny person yet my appetite is quite voracious. Must be the reason why I'm quite tall, a good 184 cm, taller than your average Indonesian.

 **xxx**

I arrived at my classroom quite early. I've checked my schedule; my first class for the day is Japanese. Heck, my _entire_ classes for the day will be Japanese, it's part of our mandatory language course for our first semester. Class won't start until 8.45am. I took a moment to check the clock on my iPhone. It's 8.25am.

Twenty minutes to go till class starts, I thought, nice.

The classroom was almost empty when I entered it, since like I said, class won't start until twenty minutes later. Choosing a desk located at the far right corner of the class, just next to the windows, I arranged my books there, before pausing for a moment. Sitting down, I placed my right index finger against my right temple, as suddenly a sharp pain appeared in my head, as if my head was being drilled from the inside. Not again, I thought. For the past few days I had episodes where my head would experience random bouts of pain, along with a loud ringing noise that accompanied it. I haven't checked it to the university's infirmary due to my busy orientation schedule, but I kept on promising to myself that I would visit it when I had the time.

"You okay?"

I slowly turned around to see a young woman standing over me, a worried look on her face. The woman has an athletic build with light brown skin and black, shoulder length hair with a bang over her forehead. She is now wearing an orange T-shirt underneath a black and white striped sweater, with blue denim jeans and black sneakers. A white wristwatch is present on her left wrist. The moment I made eye contact with her, my headache vanished completely. What a relief.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said, a warm smile on my face, "Just didn't get enough sleep from preparing for today."

"Next time, make sure to take some rest, ne?" the young woman smiled, before she offered her right hand towards me, "Anyway, what's your name?"

"I'm Krishna," I replied, giving her a handshake, "I'm from Indonesia. And you?"

"Le Thao Minh," said the young woman.

"Le what?" I lifted my eyebrows. Her name sounded Vietnamese, and as far as I know Vietnamese names have some…unique pronunciations that would twist the tongues of those who are inexperienced.

The young woman giggled, "Just call me Minh. I'm from Vietnam. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Minh-san," I replied with a huge smile on my face, "So you're my classmate, huh?"

"Yup," Minh nodded, "I'm really hoping that we will have a great time together in this class, Krishna."

"Hope so," I winked at her, and she winked back before she returned to her seat.

Yeah, this is going to be one hell of a semester.

 **xxx**

Class has gone underway for 10 minutes now, and for now our _sensei_ has asked us to introduce ourselves in Japanese. I had done mine, whilst Minh had just finished hers a few seconds ago. Right now another young woman is introducing herself in front of class. She has a medium yet athletic build with white skin and short, chin-length dark brown hair with black eyes, and wears a black "Ghost in a Shell" T-shirt with torn-up blue denim jeans, a pair of glasses as well as a pair of black sneakers.

"Hello everyone. My name is Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh, but you can call me Two. I'm from Hanoi, Vietnam…"

As Two introduced herself, I gazed outside my classroom through the window next to me. The weather today's so nice, the sky's clear blue with a few clouds placed into the mix. People are moving back and forth from classrooms outside. It was overall quite a nice day, might as well grab some ice cream when class finishes.

Forget ice cream, the headaches are coming again.

As more students introduced themselves, I silently clutched my head in pain, before placing my head over my arms on the table and bent myself into a sleeping position. I would have screamed there, with the pain and ringing even more intense than usual, but I decided to stay silent because I don't want to attract any attention to myself. Suddenly a few seconds later, the headaches went away, so do the ringing noise. Slowly I lifted my head and glanced back, to see Minh with a concerned expression on her face watching me from a distance. I then glanced towards the window, before seeing something shocking flickering at the corner of my eye.

Was that a black Chinese dragon with red eyes flying across the window?

I leaned myself against my chair and let out a quiet sigh. Right now a bespectacled young woman with a medium built with white skin and shoulder length red hair wearing a beige sweater, a black skirt with dark brown leggings, and pink sneakers is introducing herself. And God damn, her Japanese is really good compared to mine.

"My name is Tran Ngo Thuy Trang, I'm from Vietnam. You can call me Chan…"

Great. Let's get this introduction thing over with. I need to go to the infirmary ASAP before those headaches come again.

 **xxx**

It's lunch time and class has finished. I immediately packed my books into my backpack and headed out. Class won't continue until around 2pm, which gives me around two hours to eat, rest, and probably go to the infirmary to sort this headache out. It's getting worse by the minute.

"Krishna!"

I turned around to see Minh waiting at the staircase near my classroom with a group of Vietnamese students chatting in their native language around her.

"Wanna join lunch with us?" Minh asked.

Such a nice girl, offering me to have lunch with her and her friends on the first day we met. Unfortunately I have more urgent businesses to attend to.

"Thanks but no thanks," I said, trying to smile as my headache began to act again, "I need to go to the infirmary first…my head's been killing me since this morning."

"Oh, okay then," Minh said, "Catch up with us when you're done, okay? We'll be at the cafeteria."

I quickly nodded before making a dash down the staircase, as the ringing noise and the pain within my head became more and more intense. Amidst the ringing, I could faintly hear Minh yelling "get well soon" at me. How thoughtful.

 **xxx**

The infirmary was a short 2 minute walk from my classroom, located inside the student office building. Clutching my head in pain, I entered the university's student office building, where the infirmary is just a short walk away through a glass corridor. Immediately I limped through the corridor, the pain in my head making it difficult for me to walk. Suddenly, as I reached the midway point of the corridor, my phone started to ring.

Ugh, who could have texted me at a time like this, I thought. Is it Minh? Impossible, we just met; I haven't given her my phone number yet.

Grabbing my iPhone, I immediately saw that I had received a text message from an unknown number. Unknown number? What the Hell? Geez, as if this day hasn't gone weirder and weirder…

Sliding open the notification to open the message, I was immediately greeted with 4 words that made me cringe.

 _You, have been chosen._

What the fuck? Chosen? Chosen for what?! My thoughts went wild as I read the message thoroughly, thinking back on what I had done on the previous days that made me "chosen." Is it those university clubs that I checked out during orientation? Yeah, it could be. But as far as I remembered, university clubs usually communicate with their members via e-mail, never via text, and I didn't remember giving my number to any of the university club presidents that I met the other day. What could it be then?

I was so busy drowning in my thoughts; I didn't realize that a jet black humanoid is standing behind me.

"Krishna Sadhana."

I turned around and gawked in shock upon the sight of the humanoid. The humanoid looked awfully familiar to me. That jet black armor, the dragon-theme to it, those glowing menacing red eyes…could it be…Kamen Rider Ryuga?!

I forgot to tell you how I usually spend my free time watching tokusatsu and anime on my laptop, so I pretty much know a thing or two about Japanese pop culture. So to see a real life Kamen Rider Ryuga standing in front of me calling my name like that, that must pretty shocking.

"How…how did you know my name?" I asked.

Ryuga didn't answer. Instead he made a slow, menacing walk towards me. If I can be honest with you, I'm in a state of both shock, awe, and utterly scared. Awed because one of my favorite Riders is in front of me in a flesh. Shocked because I did not expect that to happen. Scared because Ryuga's an evil Rider. Who knows what he's going to do to me?

Ryuga is now only an inch away from me. I could feel a menacing aura coming out of his cold black self. If I can be honest with all of you…I probably peed in my pants during that moment.

"You're coming with me."

And with that, Ryuga performed a swift jab onto my stomach. I immediately went limp, falling to my back as my vision became blurry, and then black.

That was my last ever day as a normal university student. Because when I wake up, I became something else, something that no one else could ever think of becoming.

I became a part of that war. A war between Kamen Riders.

 **xxx**

Slowly and groggily, I opened my eyes. My vision is still blurry from when Ryuga knocked me out, but within seconds I managed to discern my location. I'm lying on my back inside an abandoned warehouse, but not just any warehouse. A Kamen Rider savvy fan like me would know that this warehouse is the very warehouse where Yuji Kiba as Kamen Rider Faiz and Masato Kusaka as Kamen Rider Kaixa fought off the Rose Orphnoch and rescue Takumi Inui in episode 39 of _Kamen Rider 555_. It is also the very same warehouse where Trial B held Mutsuki Kamijo captive in episode 39 of _Kamen Rider Blade_.

Just where the fuck am I?

Rubbing my head as I slowly got up, I checked myself to see of Ryuga had done any alterations to my body. There were none, and I'm still wearing the clothes that I wore this morning. My headache has vanished completely as well, much to my relief. I slowly opened my shirt to see any bruising that Ryuga had inflicted on my when he knocked me out. To my relief, there were none.

Looking at my surroundings, I was shocked to see my bags near me, all neatly packed. That's strange, last time I saw them, I left them in my dorm room and I only brought my backpack with me. Immediately I went over to the bags and opened them one by one. Much to my shock, my clothes has been neatly packed inside the bags, as well as my laptop, as if I had moved out from my dorm room and passed out suddenly at the warehouse with my bags around me.

Just what the fuck is going on here?

I took out my iPhone from my pocket and give it a good check. It is still functional, even though I received zero reception here. Great. Just great. I'm lost in the middle of nowhere, and I can't contact anyone for help.

I decided to give my backpack a look, just in case something happened when I was knocked out. Much to my relief, my important documents, bank books, passport, wallet, phone charger, and Japanese books are neatly arranged inside it. Although, I did found several new items among them.

The first item was a device that resembled a thinned out pane of glass, although upon closer inspection, it's metal. I run my index finger over the device's surface, and much to my surprise, it activates by itself, displaying a variety of apps that rivaled my iPhone. Heck, there's even _Facebook_ , _Kamen Rider Storm Heroes_ , _Temple Run_ , and _Love Live! School Idol Festival_. The exact same apps that I used frequently on my old iPhone. It even has an in-built browser! Clearly someone had copied my iPhone's internal data and copied it into the device, including all the photos that I took with it. It even has a camera. Talk about convenience.

The second object shocked me even further. It was a black rounded rectangle with silver accents, a yellow cutting knife on its right side, an octagonal indent on the middle, and a blank plate of black metal on the left side. I've seen this object before, and I know very much what this object is capable of doing.

It's a blank Sengoku Driver, the transformation device used by the Riders of _Kamen Rider Gaim_. Normally the blank plate of metal, called the Rider Indicator, would display the helmet of the Rider that the user of the Driver will transform into. But in my case, it's blank. Must be because it's in its inactivated state.

It's a no brainer on what the next new items on my backpack are. Two Banana Lockseeds, coded **L.S-08** each. As far as I know, these Lockseeds are used by Kaito Kumon, the anti-hero/final villain of _Kamen Rider Gaim_ to transform into Kamen Rider Baron. It is also used to summon and control Inves, the denizens of an otherworldly forest called Helheim Forest.

Great. I'm stranded in the middle of nowhere with all of my clothes, my laptop, my backpack, a weird futuristic iPhone-like thing, and the transformation devices of Kamen Rider Baron. What is going on here?!

"Ah, you're awake."

I gawked in surprise as I saw a small fairy-like girl in a purple dress with blonde hair and floating on an open tome hovering towards me. Holy fuck. As if everything that happened to me today can't get even weirder…

"Who the heck are you?" That what I asked the floating girl instinctively. I know it's kinda rude and stuff, but hey, I got thrown into the unknown here! Someone needs to give me an explanation.

"No need to be mad, young man," the girl replied gently, "My name is Histoire, Oracle of Planeptune."

So that's why that girl looked vaguely familiar. I'm not too familiar with the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise and all, but my HDN crazy friend used to tell me about Histoire. Apparently she's one of Gods of the series, possessing all of the world's knowledge and having the ability to reshape reality. In other words, I'm in a presence of a physical goddess. And I bet she has the answers for whatever's happening here.

"Can you explain what's happening here?" I asked Histoire, "Why did I just woke up here, in this warehouse, with all my belongings around me with the transformation devices of Kamen Rider Baron, and then talking to a character that I've known from a video game series?"

"It's a long story," Histoire answered, "But long story short, you've been brought here by the orders of the Game Master."

"Game Master? Who the heck is he?" I asked again, "And why did he brought me here?"

"The Game Master is a name that the players have called him and what he called himself since he never revealed his name to anyone," Histoire replied.

"Players?"

"Yes, the people who had been taken from their own worlds and brought to this one."

"Taken?"

"Yes. I've known all about you, Krishna Sadhana. Born in Malang, May 7th, 1996. Spent 3 years in Melbourne, Australia from 1997 to 2000. Spent 9 years in Malang, Indonesia, before continuing high school in Jakarta, Indonesia for 3 years. Recently enrolled in Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Oita, Japan. Am I right?"

Holy shit. A girl who I never met before had just told me my entire life story in a breath. And I didn't even told anyone about that. As expected from someone with God-like powers.

"How…how do you know all of that?" I asked, this time my tone trembling in shock.

"The Game Master knows everything about his players," Histoire smiled.

"Wait, you said players twice already. What do you mean by that? Are they playing a game or something?"

Suddenly Histoire's expression turned to that of a somber one. Realized that I had said something wrong, I quickly closed my mouth with my hand.

"Did I say something wrong? Sorry about that…"

"It's okay. I should have explained this to you anyway," Histoire said slowly, "While some think that this is a game, other say that this is a war. A Kamen Rider War to be exact."

Holy shit again. Did she just say a Kamen Rider War? Just like the ones in _Ryuki_ , _Decade_ , and _Gaim_?! What have you gotten yourself into, Krishna?

Histoire continues her explanation, "People from your world were chosen to participate in this war. Each person brought would receive a transformation device from a Kamen Rider of the Heisei or Neo-Heisei Era, and fight against their fellow players until one Rider remains, and that one Rider will battle the Game Master and defeat him to win. You're quite lucky, Krishna Sadhana, since you didn't missed much. None of the Riders has been eliminated yet, but you need to be careful if you don't want to be the first one to get eliminated. Kaijins from different series are brought here as well, to make things…you know, interesting."

Holy mother of fuck. It took me a good five minutes for me to let everything sink in. Even though I tried to be calm, I was even more freaked out than before. I mean, this morning I'm just a normal university student embarking on a normal university life whilst meeting this really cute Vietnamese girl as well as having dreams of playing football with my favorite club of all time. But now, I've been taken from my home, with the possibility of never seeing that girl Minh again, to participate in this battle to the death. What. The fucking. Hell.

"I know what's going through you, Krishna," Histoire said, snapping me out of my daydream, "But I have some…slightly good news for you. Some of the players who the Game Master has chosen…they're also Ritsumeikan APU students. Some of them are also students from your old high school and junior high."

Now this is getting even more messed up. Now I have to fight my own friends?! But then again…maybe…just maybe…I could find my friends and persuade them to fight with me. Yes, maybe with some allies around me, I could survive this messed up battle royale thing.

"Okay, that's one thing covered," I said, taking a few breaths to calm myself down, "Now explain to me about this place."

"You're in Tokusat City, Krishna," Histoire replied, "It's pretty much the amalgamation of the cities where the Riders used to fight. Futo, Zawame, you name it. In his words, this is the city for everything tokusatsu. The denizens here are various characters from tokusatsu, anime, video games."

I nodded, trying to let the information sink in. Even though, I probably need some time off alone to digest everything.

"Histoire, can I go?" I asked, "I need to take a walk. Y'know, so I could understand everything that's happening here."

"Sure, "Histoire nodded, "Just be careful out there, okay? Plus you need to keep alert on the new info that your Y-Gear gives to you."

"Y-Gear? What the heck's that?" I asked.

"It's one of the items that the Game Master has provided you with," Histoire replied, "I believe it's the pane of metal that you found in your bag."

Ah, so that's the name of that futuristic iPhone thing. Noted.

"And one more thing," Histoire said again, "A few hours ago when you were out I've brought one of your friends here, and I believe she accepted this in a much more…calmer manner than you do. If you can find her, that'll make you get used to everything here even faster."

Great, now my new university friends have already joined the party. If they're willing to be my allies, great. But the thought of fighting them…it's just a bit…wrong. But nevertheless, I'll try my best to seek as much allies and answers as possible. I need to get to the bottom of this, ASAP.

"Noted," I nodded as I placed my Y-Gear in my pocket, and my iPhone, Sengoku Driver, and Lockseeds into my backpack before I set off, "Watch over my stuff, will ya?"

"Will do," Histoire nodded, "But before you go, I have something for you."

Histoire went towards me and placed something in my right hand. I opened my right palm to see a rose-themed Lockseed on it, the code **L.V-02** written on the said Lockseed

"A Kamen Rider can't be a Kamen Rider without his ride, right?" Histoire said, winking at me.

Knowing what I must do, I unlocked the Lockseed and threw it in front of me, allowing it to unfold itself into a rose-themed Honda XR250. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Rose Attacker, the second Lock Vehicle developed by Yggdrasill Corporation for the Riders of _Gaim_. I immediately placed my backpack on my back and started the engine on the Rose Attacker, before mounting said vehicle.

"I'll be going. Watch over my stuff, okay?" I said, revving the Rose Attacker's engine before I took off.

Histoire waved goodbye as I left the warehouse, a faint, sad smile appearing on her face.

"Be careful out there, Krishna Sadhana. There are a lot of Riders out there who are out for your head."

 **xxx**

Around 20 minutes since I left the warehouse, I found myself walking at Tokusat City's Central Shopping Complex (CSC). It's basically like your run-off-the-mill arcade-type shopping street, with a lot of colonial-style buildings here and there where people set up shops. Kinda reminds me of Amsterdam's P.C. Hoofstraat. Or Seoul's Insa-dong. Or Yogyakarta's Malioboro Street. Or Melbourne's Collins Street.

During my stroll at the CSC, I found out that my Y-Gear boasts a number of insane features that I never imagined before. Remember _Gaim_ 's Beat Riders Network? The same thing also exists here, in app form placed nicely inside my Y-Gear, called the "Rider War Network". But instead of videos of people fighting Inves, there are videos of Riders fighting each other. I saw a lot of people watching footages of various battles of Riders from their own Y-Gears or from the television sets sold at the CSC. There's also an app that displayed the details statistics of my Rider form, but it's inactive due to me not transforming yet. It's also serves as my universal wallet, since everything's so digital and advanced here. I've found out that all of my money that I had with me has been transferred to my Y-Gear.

As I tinkered with my Y-Gear, I briefly noticed a symbol resembling a rising Garuda located at the back of my Y-Gear, the words "Astinapura Corporation" emblazoned on it. Must be the company that made these things, I thought. To this so-called Astinapura Corporation, my thanks are for them.

Also during my stroll at the CSC, I ran into several characters that I thought I could only saw in the likes of animes or video games. I saw _Fairy Tail_ 's Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser as well as _Hayate The Combat Butler_ 's Hayate Ayasaki and Nagi Sanzenin enjoying fruit parfaits at an exact copy of _Gaim_ 's Drupers fruit parlor. I also ran into _The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya_ 's SOS Brigade doing some shopping at the CSC (even though I suspect it's Haruhi dragging everyone there, as usual), as well as _Bleach_ 's Orihime Inoue checking out clothes at an upscale-looking boutique. I also saw Solid Snake from the _Metal Gear_ franchise enjoying a quick cigarette with _Gundam 00_ 's Lyle Dylandy and _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ 's Gendo Ikari at the CSC's smoking area. Finally I saw the entire gang from _JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders_ walking out from a pub, all of them laughing heartily. 'This really is a world where everything fictional comes to life', I thought. As I continued my stroll, I came across a building that looked familiar to me.

"No, fucking, way…" I gasped.

It was an exact copy of the Wagnaria family restaurant from the _Working!_ manga and anime series! It's official. This world is cool.

But before I could get in and grab a bite there, I heard someone screaming in the distance. Immediately I ran towards the source of the scream to investigate what is happening, navigating myself through the crowded CSC to reach a small alleyway located between two stores. There, I saw something horrifying.

A 22 year old man has cornered a frightened-looking 17 year old girl against a wall, with malicious intent brimming from the man's eyes. The man is slim yet athletically built with light brown skin, grey eyes and spiky blonde hair. He wears a chocolate leather jacket made out of snake skin, torn up black leather pants, and black sneakers. To add more to the man's menacing look, he has chains coming out from the pockets of his pants, with spikes coming out from his sneakers' heels and tip. The girl has a medium build with a rather curvaceous figure, with white skin, long purple hair tied in two low twintails, and has turquoise eyes. She is now wearing a blue blazer over a white T-shirt, along with a blue skirt and black shoes complete with knee-length black socks, and a green striped bowtie on her chest.

I instantly knew the girl the moment I saw her – she's Nozomi Tojo, a member of the school idol group µ's from the anime _Love Live! School Idol Project_ , the eldest member of the group as well as my favorite. As for the man, I've never seen him before so I suspect he has something to do with this "Kamen Rider war" thing.

Immediately I rushed into the alleyway, my instincts working like overdrive as I clenched my right fist tightly. The target? The goddamn pervert's right cheekbone, of course.

"Hey!" I called as I swung the punch towards the man, "Get your hands off her!"

The punch hit the man quite hard, forcing him to stumble backwards, rubbing his right cheek in pain. I immediately took a defensive stance in front of Nozomi, in case the man had any more ideas.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Y-yes…" Nozomi replied, slightly stammered due to what she's been through earlier, "T-thank you…"

"Oy, what's the matter, mate?" the man asked, from his accent I immediately knew that this man's Australian, "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?!"

"Were you trying to rape this girl?!" I asked back angrily, "Answer me!"

"Hey, don't blame me for being unable to satisfy my needs after coming here," replied the man, cracking his neck as he faced me, anger billowing out from his eyes, "Damn Histoire didn't tell me where's the nearest whorehouse is."

"You bastard, how did you know about Histoire?!" I asked, rushing forward as I grabbed the man by the collar of his jacket, "Answer me, goddamnit!"

The man replied…with a punch that struck my nose quite hard. I stumbled to the ground, blood trickling from my nose as Nozomi watched on in horror.

"You bloody shithead," the man cracked his neck as he adjusts his collar, "You're a player in this too, aren't you mate?"

The man took out something from his jacket pocket, and I immediately recognized it once my eyes made contact with it. It is a purple rectangle, with a golden cobra engraved to it. Snickering evilly, the man made his way to a nearby mirror, pointing the object at it. A silver belt suddenly flew out of the window and attached itself onto the man's waist.

"Don't tell me…you're.." I gasped as I struggled to stand up, wiping away the blood from my nose as I do so. Man, that man sure packed a punch!

"Oh, so you've seen an Advent Deck before, you bloody prick," the man said, brandishing the Deck towards me, "My name is Nick Killian, and today I feel bloodthirsty, thanks to you interrupting my business. Now, it's time for you to die. **Henshin!** "

Nick slid in the Deck onto his belt buckle, causing three mirror images of armor to appear, slamming onto him as it formed his cobra-themed armor.

Nick has transformed into a Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider Ouja to be exact.

Shit, my mind instantly cursed. In _Kamen Rider Ryuki_ , the Ouja Deck was used by Takeshi Asakura, a renowned psychopath. A brutal Rider, he took the lives of Kamen Riders Raia, Gai, Imperer, and Zolda, the latter after his nemesis Shuichi Kitaoka succumbed to his cancer and gave his Deck to his assistant Goro Yura. He's also quite merciless in battle, and will resort to anything to win, even combining the Decks of Raia and Gai to create the ultimate Deck! And I have no doubt; this Nick fellow is also a psychopath, rivaling Asakura in terms of it!

"Nozomi, run!" I yelled at Nozomi, "It's dangerous!"

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Nozomi asked.

"I'll explain later!" I yelled, "Just run!"

"Die you little shit!" Ouja yelled, swinging his cobra-themed scepter, called the Veno Visor, at me.

Nozomi ran out of the alleyway just in time to see me parrying the incoming swipe with my arms, before receiving a good kick to the chest from the cobra-themed Rider. People began to flock around us as Ouja picked me up and punched me repeatedly on the gut, causing me to cough up blood. He then proceeds to give a solid kick onto my head, sending me to the ground.

God damn it…apparently I've picked up a fight with the wrong person. His punches and kicks…they felt really strong, they felt that they could break every bones in my body! And he hasn't even used his infamous Veno Saber yet! Worst case scenario, he might call on his Contract Monster Venosnaker to eat me alive!

"Die!" Ouja yelled as he forced me up to my feet and punched me in the face, before more punches to the face follow suit, "Die! Die! Die! Die!"

Nozomi watched on in horror as I collapsed to the ground, my face bruised up and bloody, with some of the blood staining my proud blue Chelsea jersey. Ouja stood right next to me, cracking his neck as he gave out a sadistic laugh.

"That's what you've got for messing with me, ya prick," Ouja said as he slowly walked away, clearly contempt on what he has done.

'Ah, what the Hell are you doing, Krishna?! You have a fucking Sengoku Driver! Why don't you use it?!' My mind cursed at myself. 'What are you, weak?! If you don't fight, you won't survive!'

I groggily stood up, blood still trickling from my nose and my lower lip, with significant bruising on my jawline and my eyes. I took a quick glance at Nozomi, who slowly broke out a smile as she saw me stood up.

'I must fight', my mind said that to encourage myself, 'I must fight! If I want to survive, I must fight! I got into this mess because I wanted to protect Nozomi…and damn right that's what I'm going to do right now!'

"Hey, you," I called out slowly towards the leaving Ouja, "Come back here."

Ouja stopped in his tracks, clearly he was surprised by my determination, "What did you just say, you bloody shithead? You want some more?"

"Yeah," I laughed sarcastically, "I'm ready for round two."

Immediately I opened my backpack and took out my Sengoku Driver, placing it against my waist. A pair of yellow straps came out from the Driver, hugging my waist comfortably, as an image of red knight's helmet appears on the Rider Indicator. I then proceed to take out my Banana Lockseed, brandishing it for Ouja, Nozomi, and the world to see, before hitting the switch on the Lockseed.

 **BANANA!**

A Crack appeared above me, with a metallic yellow banana descending from it. Imitating Kaito Kumon, I twirled my Lockseed on my index finger, before snapping it on my Sengoku Driver, locking it on place.

 **LOCK ON!**

The familiar triumphant European fanfare music blared out of my Sengoku Driver, igniting my already blazing motivation to fight even more. I took a glance at Nozomi, who gave me a smile to encourage me. I then proceed to close my eyes, images of my mother, my father, my friends, and lastly Minh flashing in my mind.

'Let's do this,' I thought in determination.

" **Henshin!** " I yelled, slamming the Sengoku Driver's Cutting Blade with determination, causing it to slice the Banana Lockseed open.

 **COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR~!**

The banana dropped on my shoulders, creating the familiar red and silver Ride Wear, with the familiar knight-themed helmet materializing inside the banana. The banana then folds open, forming the chest, back, and shoulder armors, the armors snapping themselves onto place as a splash of yellow energy appeared, my banana-themed spear, the Banaspear, forming in my right hand.

I did it. I transformed. I transformed into the Knight of Spear himself, Kamen Rider Baron!

"Now that's more like it," Ouja cracked his neck, taking out a card with a yellow spiral sword etched on it from his Advent Deck, before inserting it into his Veno Visor.

 **SWORD VENT!**

The Veno Saber materialized in Ouja's right hand, the cobra Rider gripping the weapon tightly as I gripped my own Banapsear as well.

"You're still going down anyway, mate," Ouja taunted me, "Show me what you've got!"

"Bring it on!" I replied the challenge enthusiastically.

Both Ouja and I marched onto the battlefield, our weapons in hand, our war cries echoing throughout the CSC. As Nozomi and the audience watched on, our weapons clashed with a loud CLANG noise, signaling the beginning of our battle.

 **xxx**

And that's how I got myself into this shit. Granted the Baron armor gave me an edge in the battlefield, but in the end Ouja had more experience. Most of the audience watching the battle had dispersed in fear after our battle escalated, with us clashing throughout the CSC causing a variety of damage. Ouja had stuck to his Veno Saber and I had to admit his swordsmanship is quite good as he managed to parry each incoming attack from my Banaspear…or I'm the one who's still too green for the battlefield. Despite that we were evenly matched, until fatigue and my injuries began to kick in. With Nozomi watching on in horror, I got myself slashed quite badly on the chest by the Veno Saber, Ouja finally finding the opening that he had sought for.

Groaning in pain, I collapsed onto the ground, my Banaspear separated from my hand as I fell. Struggling to recover myself, I tried to pick up my Banaspear only for Ouja to kick it away from me, before he proceeds to pin me down with his left foot.

"Oy oy, what's the matter, mate?" Ouja taunted, his visor making contact with mine, "Is that what you've got?"

Ouja then proceeds to kick me repeatedly on the right side of my torso, causing me to groan out in pain as my ribs were taking the full impact of the cobra Rider's kicks. As pain raged through my body, I slowly reached my right hand out towards Nozomi, who has been watching the whole fight from the sidelines. Knowing that what happens next would horrify her for life, I tried to signal her to get away from the CSC as soon as possible, but before I could do anything, my strength has failed me and my right arm went limp. With a mighty kick, Ouja rolled me over, exposing my vulnerable abdomen for the world to see.

"Now, to end this…" Ouja said in a dark tone, lifting up his Veno Saber towards the sky, the blade of the weapon aimed straight at my abdomen, laughing manically as he knelt beside me, ready to stab the life out of me.

Realizing that this might be the end of me, I closed my eyes from underneath my helmet, ready to accept my fate. Various images of the people who I care about appear in my mind as I counted down the final seconds of my life. My mother, my father, my friends from Malang, my high school friends from Jakarta, my new university friends, Minh, and lastly, Nozomi.

'I'm sorry everyone. Looks like my time has arrived now. Sorry that I can't be a good son to you. Sorry that I can't become a good friend for you guys. I'm sorry that I can't know you even better, Minh-san. I'm sorry that I've failed to protect you, Nozomi…'

But before Ouja can apply the coup de grace, he suddenly lets out a loud groan of pain, his Veno Saber falling out from his hands as he collapsed next to me. Slowly I opened my eyes to see my assailant lying on the ground next to me, smoke can be seen coming out from his back. Realizing that I have been saved, I slowly stood up, my vision making contact with the one who had saved me.

Standing in front of me was another Rider, with a yellow-belted Sengoku Driver similar to myself, but with a sliced open apple-themed Lockseed on it. From its posture, I can say that the Rider was female, with the same medieval knight motif as me, only this time she's a swordsman instead of a lancer. Her armor was themed after an apple, colored red and white with black accents, while her Ride Wear was colored in a predominant white with a few red armoring on the knees, ankles, and wrists. Her helmet was styled after a knight, with her visor resembles that of a sliced apple, colored white. On her left hand was a large red, white, and black shield with some ornate golden accenting, while on her right hand is a golden sword with red markings on it, themed after an apple core.

"Stand up, Krishna Sadhana," the Rider spoke, pointing her sword towards me, "Stand up and let's fight together!"

That voice…it sounded really familiar to me. It sounded just like a certain Vietnamese girl who had just introduced herself in my Japanese class. Can't it be…

"Two?! What are you doing here?"

 **xxx**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **xxx**

 **A/N: And that's it! The first chapter of the first arc of the Kamen Rider War Side Stories. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Next chapter, we will have Kamen Riders Baron and Idunn taking on Kamen Rider Ouja and we'll have a perspective story from Two on how she got herself into this war! Don't forget to leave your reviews^^**

 **This is maxpower02 signing off!**


	2. Two

**A/N: Hey guys, it's maxpower02 here again! I am absolutely delighted with the positive reviews that the first chapter of the first arc of "Kamen Rider War Side Stories" got! To Time Hollow, I don't know why if you made a side story for your Dark Kiva it would be bad, but I encourage you to do it! If you had the ideas for developing a backstory for Rei, I don't see what's wrong in pouring a side story for your own character yourself. Give it a try!^^ To NecroGod, a huge thank you for your appraisal. I'll work hard to make future chapters even more amazing, and I wish you luck for the main story! To Gadget the Critic, thank you for your excellent review. I indeed got the idea of making this from the Gaim Gaidens, but also from the W Returns Gaidens and the Ultraman Hikari Side Saga. I say if you had the time, why don't you make your own Gaiden for the H.E.L.P. characters? It'll be interesting :D. To Daozang, thank you so much for the review. The idea for making the side story is kinda random, since I felt that they needed to get the same spotlight as Michael does, as well as to explain their backstory to the readers^^ And finally to Kamen rider Lord, your idea was excellent, and I'm considering doing Mach + OOO as the second arc of the Kamen Rider War Side Stories. And don't worry, Necro and I have already agreed on a Kuuga OC^^**

 **Right, time for chapter 2 of our first arc, starring a girl named Two (I don't know whether I should laugh or not for this xD)!**

 **P.S. I strongly recommend you to read NecroGod's Kamen Rider War before you read this. Otherwise you wouldn't get the story :p**

 **Alright, without further ado, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any other series that I crossover.**

 **xxx**

A Rose Attacker is seen speeding on the roads of Tokusat City, weaving its way through traffic as it headed towards its destination. The motorcycle's rider is a familiar young woman wearing a black "Ghost in a Shell" T-shirt, a black helmet covering her face. As soon as the sign for the Tokusat City CSC appeared on the side of the road near an intersection, the young woman guided her Rose Attacker towards a beeline heading towards the shopping complex, which was quite congested considering the CSC is one of the city's more popular shopping destinations, since it is the city's biggest shopping complex. Thankfully her years of riding the motorcycle back home in Hanoi helped her very much as she easily navigated her Rose Attacker between the cars congesting the road. It earned her several angry honks from the drivers, but nevertheless she has a more distressing matter to attend to.

Five minutes later, the young woman has arrived at her destination, and soon enough, her eyes were greeted by the fight between Kamen Riders Baron and Ouja, with neither side yielding as both the Banaspear and Veno Saber clashed with each other in a show of sparks.

'So he's here, huh?' Two thought to herself as she took off her helmet, placing it on the Rose Attacker's handlebar, before lifting the motorcycle's seat to reveal a hidden compartment.

Inside the compartment, lies a Sengoku Driver, with an illustration of a red medieval swordsman etched on the Rider Indicator. Two grabs the Driver and placed it against her waist, causing two yellow straps to come out and secure the Driver on her body. She then takes out another object from the compartment – a red, ornate-looking apple-themed Lockseed with white markings on it, the code **L.S-Taboo** was engraved in black on it, the Forbidden Ringo Lockseed. She then hits the switch on the Lockseed, unlocking it.

 **RINGO!**

A Crack appeared over Two before a metallic red apple with white ornate markings on it slowly descended down the Crack, hovering above the Vietnamese's head.

"Histoire said that I need to give Krishna some back-up when he's in trouble, and boy he's in one right now!" Two said as she crossed her arms in front of her face, her Forbidden Ringo Lockseed on her right hand, yelling " **Henshin!** " as she threw her arms apart.

Two places her Forbidden Ringo Lockseed on her Sengoku Driver and locks it into place.

 **LOCK ON!**

The same triumphant European fanfare music that came out from Krishna's Sengoku Driver was heard from Two's own Driver, before she quickly hits her Cutting Blade, slicing her Lockseed open.

 **COME ON! RINGO ARMS! DESIRE FORBIDDEN FRUITS~!**

The apple dropped on Two's shoulders, creating the white and red Ride Wear as the medieval swordsman helmet was formed inside the said apple around Two's head. The apple then unfolds itself, creating the chest, shoulders, and back armors, before a splash of red energy appeared, forming the red, white, gold, and black apple-themed shield on Two's left hand, the Apple Reflecter. As the transformation completes, Two pulls out the gold and red apple core-themed sword, the Sword Bringer, from a sheathe located on the Reflecter's back.

The newly transformed Kamen Rider Idunn slowly marched into the CSC, just as Kamen Rider Ouja had managed to slash Kamen Rider Baron to the ground. With her friend in trouble, it's about time she must intervene.

 _ **My name is Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh, but people call me Two. I'm a 19 year old girl from Hanoi with a shattered dream, whose parents desired me to inherit their company for them. I was forced to go to a university in Japan to attend management classes there and despite making some new friends, my life was pretty bleak. That is, until I came across this battle…**_

 **xxx**

 _ **KAMEN RIDER WAR – THE SIDE STORIES**_

 **xxx**

 **(Cue Opening: Virtue and Vice – Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas)**

 **(Instrumentals)** _The screen opens to reveal a close-up of Kamen Rider Baron. As the guitar begins to riff, the screen alternates between shots of Baron's gauntlets, chest armor, shoulders, back, and Sengoku Driver, before the drum begins to play with the story title appearing in front of a silhouetted Baron, with silhouettes of Duke and Marika standing on Baron's right side, and silhouettes of Zangetsu and Sigurd standing on Baron's left side. A scream was heard as Baron's silhouette raises his Banaspear and slashes the title, rushing into battle with the other four Riders flanking him._

 **(Don't know what's being misunderstood, missiles flying children getting shot)** _Krishna kicked and punched several Elementary Inves at an empty stage, with white strobe lights flashing as he does so, before it ends with Krishna brandishing his Banana Lockseed at the screen._

 **(Swindles everywhere, people who should be the most loved ones, killing each other)** _Chan and Meika standing back to back with each other in front of an orange screen before they walked in opposite directions as a red line began to split the screen, focusing on the girls' stoic faces before focusing on the Melon Lockseed in Chan's hand and Cherry Energy Lockseed in Meika's, before the line slides itself in a diagonal position and splits the screen open to show Wind relaxing underneath a tree, playing the Peach Energy Lockseed in her hand._

 **(Once you keep an eye off, things get stolen)** _The scene shifts to Minh lying in a rather "suggestive" position in a pool of blood, the camera scrolling up from her legs towards her body before reaching her head, the scene then switches to a close-up of Minh's face, her expressionless eyes staring at the Lemon Energy Lockseed in her right hand, a few patches of blood tainting the object._

 **(The world is like this, the world that we don't know, the unknown world)** _The scene switches to an abandoned storage room, with an office table lying in the middle of the room. Two is seen tinkering with her laptop on the table, before she slowly looked up towards the camera, before the scene fades to Kamen Rider Idunn standing against a black background, with the camera filming Idunn's right side, before it switches towards Idunn's front side, with a shroud of grey covering her entire left side. The camera slowly zooms towards Idunn's head which was looking down, before she suddenly lifts up her head, her visor glowing._

 **(Out of our hands, it doesn't matter, covering up, acting like you don't see a thing)** _The scene then changes to Nozomi walking down an alleyway alone on the way to school, before it switches to Nozomi sitting idly as her friends chatted around her, looking out the window as she stared at the clear blue sky outside._

 **(If you think it's a different thing, you won't notice that the world you live in is)** _The scene then switched to the Chaos Insurgency's hideout, where Krishna is staring the clear blue sky from the window of the hideout, while his teammates are busy playing darts on the background. Suddenly an alert message flashed onto Krishna's Y-Gear, prompting everyone to run out of the hideout._

 **(Instrumentals)** _Shots of the Chaos Insurgency members running are shown frame by frame, each lit by a different color (red for Krishna, blue for Minh, pink for Wind, white for Chan, green for Meika, and yellow for Two)._

 **(Look at it, oh yeah!** ) _The scene switches to Kamen Rider Mars stepping out towards a large plaza, several Dark Riders are seen behind him._

 **(The world is all linked together)** _Krishna and the other Chaos Insurgency members ran up towards the incoming Dark Riders, with their Lockseeds in their hands and their Drivers on their waists. Krishna exchanged looks with his teammates, before he unlocks his Banana Lockseed as the screen fades into yellow._

 **(Save our loved ones and the world (** _ **hey hey because breaking**_ **))** _Kamen Riders Sigurd and Gaoh clashed together as Kamen Rider Idunn takes on Kamen Rider Tyrant, both Riders using their Sonic Arrow and Sword Bringer respectively to counter their opponents' respective weapons._

 **((** _ **down the piled wood castle is easy)**_ **These peaceful days lasting is a wish)** _Kamen Rider Zangetsu defends herself with her Melon Defender from an incoming slash courtesy of Kamen Rider Yuuki, before slashing the skeleton Rider with her Musou Saber._

 **(** _ **hey hey these peaceful days, continuing is just like a wish**_ **)** _Kamen Rider Marika is engaged in a shootout with Kamen Rider Psyga, while Kamen Rider Duke takes on Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto in a melee brawl._

 **(Because I have no idea, how many tickets "to live today" are left)** _Kamen Riders Baron and Mars rushed towards each other, performing identical Rider Punches towards one another that sends them stumbling backwards._

 **(Even at the time when you were playing cards, somewhere in this world)** _As the Dark Riders falter back, the Chaos Insurgency Riders gather around, with the Genesis Riders huddling behind Baron, who uses his Banana Sparking to energize his Banaspear. He then stabs the Banaspear onto the ground, creating a series of energy bananas that skewers the Dark Riders as the screen fades into white._

 **(Somebody is crying)** _The scene flashes from white to show Kamen Rider Gaim Yami leading a group of Riders towards the Chaos Insurgency Riders. Baron slowly made his way towards Gaim Yami, the two Riders reaching their hands towards each other, before they finally touch as the scene fades into white and the song ends._

 **xxx**

 **Arc I: The Chaos Insurgency**

 **Chapter II: Two**

 **As told from Two's point of view**

 **xxx**

 **Fukuoka Airport, a few months ago**

Finally, after around 6 hours (or is it? I was asleep for most of the time so I didn't know that much) of flying, we've arrived at the Land of the Rising Sun.

It has been a long and arduous journey for me. Taking off late at night from Hanoi, transiting early in the morning in Incheon, before finally arriving here in Fukuoka, in the biggest airport in the Japanese island of Kyushu. But the trip's not over yet – there's still a two hour bus ride to our university dormitory, at the city of Beppu in Oita Prefecture.

Oh boy, this is going to be a fun trip.

As my fellow Vietnamese travel companions are busy dealing with immigrations and stuff, I decided to go to the toilet to splash some cool refreshing water onto my tired face after such a long journey. I never viewed myself as a people's person, having made a few friends back home, and I even barely knew my travel companions who are going to attend the same university as I do. So instead of talking about how excited I am about coming to Japan with them, I decided to take some time alone in the toilet, relaxing myself after that long journey that I've just been through as well as to clear my head before dealing with immigrations. I had these minor episodes of headaches for the past few days and I don't want to face the immigration officer handling my documents looking like a sick, jet-lagged person. 'Maybe I'm just being nervous about going to a foreign country all by myself', I thought.

Wait, did I say that I felt excited about coming to Japan? _Au contraire_ my dear readers, I'm _NOT_ excited at all. You see, after graduating from my high school, I always had this dream of becoming a professional fencer, wishing that someday I would present a gold medal for my beloved Vietnam in both the SEA Games or the Asian Games, heck, I once dreamed of standing in that podium in the Olympics, accepting my gold medal whilst singing to the national anthem of my country. During my final year of high school, I practiced extra hard for my fencing, hoping that I would make it through the national tryouts once I graduated.

Sadly my parents had other plans. My dad's a successful businessman, working at one of Vietnam's largest corporations, while my mom owns a steel industry at the city of Thai Binh near Hanoi, which was, surprise surprise, funded by the same corporation where my dad works. My parents are your stereotypical Asian tiger parents – since I'm their only child, I was groomed since I was young to inherit my mom's steel industry. I bet you're expecting that life as a company heiress would be one of luxury and wealth. Well that part's true. But I'm also being constantly monitored by my parents to ensure that I would follow their path in the future. That means during my school days my activities were scheduled, I participated in several private tutoring sessions after school, my social life's being monitored (no boyfriends, my hours on social media are being regulated, etc.), and my parents are constantly egging me on to be the best of my class. Even though I managed to live up to their expectations (you're talking about the valedictorian of my high school here, and I'm quite proud of it), sometimes I felt that my dreams are at the hands of someone else's, that I've been living the life of my parents instead of my own.

I came across fencing when my parents decided to allow me to choose an extracurricular activity by myself during high school because of my excellent grades. My best friend took me to this fencing arena near school one day, and together we watched a fencing match. And immediately I fell in love with the sport. The grace, the agility, and most of all, the overall finesse of the two fencers when they battle it out on the arena. It's as if the two of them are dancing instead of fighting. So I decided to take a fencing extracurricular at my school, as well as taking some extra lessons (in secret) from a friend of mine at my family gym. Thankfully I worked hard on my studies as well and my grades are still in the usual consistent straight As, thus my parents didn't suspect anything that their beloved heiress is building a path of her own as a fencing athlete. Eventually I graduated high school as my class' valedictorian, as well as gaining an invitation for the national fencing tryouts in Ho Chi Minh City, an opportunity for myself to establish myself as an athlete who will fight for her city on the regional stage as well as her beloved country on the international stage. You're expecting that everything will go happily ever after from this point on, right? _WRONG_.

My parents told me that they had enrolled me at my dad's alma mater university, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan, where I would take up management classes to prepare myself for my imminent role as the head of my mother's steel industry. And the date of my departure to Japan? The same day as the fencing tryouts. I tried to argue with my parents to convince them that I need a year off to focus on my fledgling fencing career, to make our city and country proud before proceeding to redirect my focus back on my studies, but the reply that I got…was the most cruel reply that I ever received from someone.

" _You are destined to become an heiress for your mother's company. Your path has been decided since the day you were born! Remember this; you have been prepared to inherit your mother's company one day. Your fencing thing is only a mere hobby for you to spend your free time, not as an alternative career choice! Forget about your silly fencing tryout! You are going to Japan and you are going to go there no matter what! No more fencing, just focus on your management classes there. And when you return, we'll discuss about your role in your mother's company before you inherit it_."

And here I am, forced to live out my parents' dreams with my own dreams being shattered to pieces. Kinda sad, isn't it? But since my parents practically paid a lot of money for my trip to Japan and my studies there, I have no choice but to go along with it.

I looked at my own reflection on the toilet's mirror, having done that for seven minutes straight as I reflected on everything that has happened to me so far. Taking off my glasses first, I slowly reached for the water faucet in front of me and turned it on. A trickle of cool, refreshing water came out of the faucet and onto my waiting hand, pooling there after a few seconds. I splashed the accumulated water onto my face, relaxing my tired facial muscles as well as refreshing my skin. After a long journey like that, that refreshing feeling after giving your face a quick wash is the best feeling that one could get.

After using two sheets of tissues to dry off my face, I placed my glasses back on, feeling all refreshed and ready to face immigration. But just as I picked up my backpack and purse, I saw something standing behind me on the mirror. It was humanoid in shape and from its body shape I could guess that it was a male. He wore a black, dragon-themed armor that covered his entire body, with a black, red-eyed dragon's head resting on a gauntlet on his left forearm, his menacing red eyes staring at me from underneath a grill-like visor.

Immediately I grabbed a taser from my purse. My parents had provided me with a taser for me to defend myself in case something bad happens to me. And boy I am thankful for them for constantly nagging me to bring that with me when I go to Japan.

"Who are you?!" I asked as I pointed the taser at the humanoid behind me, "Do you know that this is the ladies' toilet?!"

"No need to be angry, Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh," the humanoid replied calmly, "I'm not here to harm you."

"But still!" I said; my thumb ready to activate the taser at any moment, " _ **This is**_ the ladies' toilet!"

"I apologize for my inappropriate behavior," the humanoid bowed politely in front of me, "I've been watching you for quite a while and…"

Without hesitating I activated the taser, firing two wires from the device that embedded themselves onto the humanoid's chest. An electric shock was then administered from the taser through the wires onto the humanoid's body, but much to my shock, he still stood firmly as if nothing had happened.

"Really? Is this how you're going to greet me?" the humanoid asked, his tone rather sarcastic, "Listen to me. Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh….you have been chosen."

After hearing that, I immediately turned my taser off, my eyes widening in curiosity as I lowered my taser. After everything that has happened to me, is God going to give my life another twist? As if my life hasn't got enough twists already…

"I'm listening," I said cautiously, putting back my taser inside my purse.

The humanoid lifted up his right arm, causing a grey veil to appear on the mirror behind me. I turned around and peeked into the veil, my curiosity getting more and more intense by the second. And the moment I peeked into that veil, I can't help myself but to let out a surprised squeal.

Inside the veil, two armored warriors are seen battling it out inside a futuristic-looking building. The first warrior was a white, motorcycle-themed warrior with large blue eyes, a pair of white and red scarves that came out from right shoulder. The second one was a black warrior themed after a Japanese rhinoceros beetle, with a few red accents on the torso. The two of them exchanged punches and kicks gracefully, with neither side yielding to one another. That is, until the black warrior stumbled a bit after being punched on the face by the motorcycle warrior. Knowing that the white warrior had gained the advantage, he decided to pull out his trump card, hitting a pad on his right waist.

 **CLOCK UP!**

The black warrior became a blur and dashed towards the white warrior, striking him repeatedly in speeds too fast for the eye can see. After being hit several times, the white warrior decided to up the ante as well, pressing a button on his belt buckle four times.

 **ZUTTO MACH!**

The white warrior became a blur as well, and both white and black blurs clashed with each other once again. The blurs clashed against the surrounding wall several times, chipping several blocks of concrete as they do so. Suddenly time in the surrounding area became slowed down, allowing me to see at firsthand what is happening. The two warriors are once again exchanging blows, with the white warrior beautifully dodging a roundhouse kick from the black one, before swinging a jab towards his opponent, which was gracefully dodged as well. It was so well choreographed, as if they had practiced the fight repeatedly before pulling it off for real.

"Amazing…" that word slipped out of my mouth as I was mesmerized by the two warriors' fighting skills.

"And you are going to be a part of it," the humanoid said, attracting my attention as he erases the veil from the mirror, "Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh, you have been chosen to participate…in the Kamen Rider War."

Wait, what?! Did he just say war?! Am I being drafted onto something that is beyond my comprehension here?!

"Wow, wow, wow, hold on there, mister!" I said, "A Kamen Rider War? Seriously? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not joking around, Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh," the humanoid replied sternly, "Like I said, I have been watching you for quite a while, from before you decided to come to Japan, in fact. The Game Master has an interest towards you. You see, your fencing skills have amazed him…"

"Game Master? Who the Hell is he?" I asked.

"He is the man who planned all of this," the humanoid replied, "The man who had gathered the best of the best fighters from around the world to fight as Kamen Riders, armored warriors with immense power. These fighters will fight each other to the death, and once the best Kamen Rider has been chosen, the Game Master will personally fight that Rider for the ultimate glory."

I was completely shocked and amazed from what the humanoid had told me. Amazed because finally someone has acknowledged my fencing skills that I have trained for a long time. Shocked, because I've been chosen to participate in a huge battle royale to the death of some sorts, meaning that I would have to kill someone…or I would be killed in the process. But then again, fighting for the ultimate glory does sound more exciting than studying management classes against your will because your parents told you to do so. Is this the chance for me to finally decide my own path of life?

"I'm considering," I said, shocking the humanoid quite considerably.

"Really?" the humanoid gasped, "I mean, this is the first time that someone has voluntarily declared interest to participate in this thing, and usually I had to…"

"But!" I interrupted, "I need some time to think. And train as well. If this Kamen Rider War thing is as deadly as you said, I need to perfect my skills first. Plus…I wanted to make sure that my choice is the right one."

"Very well," the humanoid nodded, placing his hands behind his back before pulling them out again, revealing two items on them. He then places the items near the water faucet, before prompting me to examine them closely.

Immediately I picked up one of the items. It was a black rounded rectangle with silver accents, a yellow cutting knife on its right side, an octagonal indent on the middle, and a blank plate of black metal on the left side.

"What on Earth is this?" I asked.

"A Sengoku Driver," replied the humanoid, "It is the essential device needed for your transformation onto a Kamen Rider for the upcoming war. But it won't work without the second object. Take a look at it."

I obliged and picked up the second object. It was a lock-like device, themed after an apple, colored red with several ornate white markings on it, as well as the words **L.S-Taboo** written in black on it.

"The Forbidden Ringo Lockseed," the humanoid continued, "An object of limitless power, you put it on your Sengoku Driver and slice it open to initiate your transformation into a Rider."

I was about to put on the Sengoku Driver onto my waist when the humanoid suddenly grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

"No!" the humanoid said, "You'll attract too much attention if you transform now. Save it for when you feel like you're ready."

"Don't worry," I smiled, delighted at the prospect of receiving this chance of making a name for myself without any influence from my parents, even though that this decision may cost me my life, "I'm always ready."

"It's quite unusual that the Game Master has come across someone as enthusiastic as you…" the humanoid said again as he created another grey veil with a swipe of his right arm, this time the veil appearing behind him, "I'm leaving you for now. The next time I return, make sure that you're ready for the war. And I won't take no as an answer."

As the humanoid prepared to take his leave, I thought for a second. Is this really for the best? Is trading my controlled life as an heiress with a life fighting in the battlefield against strange armored beings really worth it?

"If you ever had doubts about this," the humanoid said as he stood near the veil, "Think about this thoroughly. Do you really want to be one who determines the path of your own life? Do you want to channel your talents without anyone prohibiting you? Or do you want to live out the rest of your life in a dull office building behind a dull desk and doing dull paperwork?"

Those last statements pierced through me like arrows. The humanoid did surprise me when he said that he's been watching me for a while, but I didn't expect him to know about how my parents had already arranged my life for me!

"H…how did you know that?" I asked the humanoid.

The humanoid lets out a brief chuckle, "The Game Master knows everything about his players."

As the humanoid slowly stepped into the veil, I had one last thing that I need to ask to him, "Wait! You never told me your name."

"My name's Ryuga," the humanoid replied stoically, "Till we meet again, Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh."

And with that, Ryuga vanishes into the veil, which disappears the moment Ryuga stepped into it. A lengthy silence soon fell into the surroundings, as I stood motionless in the restroom, my body leaning at the water faucet, the Sengoku Driver and Forbidden Ringo Lockseed still there. My mind is working on overdrive right now, trying to process what had just happened to me. I have to be honest with you, it was the most surreal fifteen minutes that I ever had. Words cannot describe how I feel right now. I've spent a good half an hour inside that toilet room, seven minutes was spent by me reflecting on what had happened to me before I went to Japan, spent 30 seconds to wash my face, 15 minutes being visited by this "Ryuga" fellow and being informed that I've been chosen to participate in this "Kamen Rider War," and finally I've spent a good 8 minutes trying to process what the heck just happened to me. Surely this battle royale to the death thing sounds kinda…cool and it gives me the opportunity to express myself by my own free will. I mean, fighting armored fighters with your own fencing skills does sound pretty awesome and it certainly is more exciting than listening to 2 hours of management lectures. Then again…battle royale to the death? Two, are you crazy? You'll get yourself killed for God's sake!

Finally, after realizing that my travel companions are probably worried sick about me right now, I packed my Sengoku Driver and my Forbidden Ringo Lockseed into my backpack, and left the restroom. As I headed towards the immigrations counter, my mind is finally set on one thing.

Time to train myself for the upcoming war between Kamen Riders.

 **xxx**

It has been a few weeks since my arrival in Japan and I had to say I've made myself slightly comfortable in my new home. Even though I'm definitely not looking forward for the beginning of the school year, I've enjoyed my orientation period and made a few friends. Yeah, I know that I'm probably going to leave Beppu in a few days, or weeks, or months, but I need a social life too, you know. With my parents supervising my social life 24/7 back in Vietnam, it's about time that I let myself go.

The good thing about orientation period is that I didn't have to spend the entire day at campus. So whenever my orientation guidance are over, instead of going back to the dorm or hanging out at the cafeteria with my friends, I snuck out to the forest surrounding my campus. A good thing about having your campus located at a top of a hill is that your campus is practically surrounded by a lush amount of greenery, perfect to be used as impromptu training dummies. That and combined with the fact that not a lot of people live at the hill where my university is at, makes the forest around campus the perfect secret training ground for me.

Today we've finished our guidance for the day and as usual I hurriedly headed towards the university's football field. I've heard from stories from my _senpais_ that although the field was enclosed with a large fence, there's a small opening near the field's equipment shed where a number of students had used it to sneak off campus to skip class. I used that opening to my advantage several times to sneak off to the forests around campus, where I would train myself for the upcoming Kamen Rider War. Ryuga hasn't contacted me since he gave me my Sengoku Driver and Forbidden Ringo Lockseed, so I constantly trained everyday just in case he suddenly showed up someday to take me into the battlefield.

But, just as I passed the university's academic office building…

"Two-chan!"

Letting out a sigh, I turned around and saw a young woman running towards me. She has quite an athletic figure, light brown skin, and black, shoulder length hair with a bang over her forehead. With that warm, friendly smile and that black and white striped sweater of hers, I instantly recognized who she is.

"Minh! What's up?"

Le Thao Minh was one of the first friends that I made here. Being from the same country makes it easier for us to connect with each other. She's a really kind and friendly person, that's why we got along so quickly. Since we've attended a few guidance classes together, I often see her around campus, but since I had my secret training and stuff, I rarely hanged out with her despite her insistence. And knowing Minh, that's what probably she's trying to do right now…

"Hey!" Minh greeted me with her usual smile and a wave of her hand, "My friends and I are planning to go out on a karaoke night tonight, since its Friday night and all. I was wondering if you're interested in joining us? I bet you have nothing to do tonight."

I thought for a moment. Well I did have nothing to do tonight, but since my training sessions are quite intensive, I often spend the nights after training resting and recuperating from all the scratches and bruises I've sustained from training. My old fencing teacher told me that with intense training, a good amount of rest is needed in order for the body to be in its finest condition. But then again, I've been turning down offers from Minh quite often whenever she tried to ask me to hang out with her and her friends. She is a really nice person and I feel kinda bad for turning her down all the time. Alright then. Just for once.

"Sure, why not," I smiled at Minh, "It's been a while since I had a girls night out. Maybe I get to meet your friends too."

"Sweet!" Minh pumped up her fists in delight, "I'll message you through Facebook when we're about to pick you up."

After exchanging goodbyes with Minh, who thankfully has decided to return back to the dorm immediately with her friends instead of dragging me with them, I quickly dashed towards the university's football field, arriving there unnoticed before proceeding to sneak my way through the fence opening. As usual my luck is with me this time, because at the time the campus was rather quiet, so I could sneak off without anyone noticing.

 **xxx**

Around fifteen minutes later I found myself standing in the middle of a sparsely vegetated area of the forest surrounding my campus, with the trees around me severely sliced and damaged, numerous scorched slash marks and stab marks can be seen on them. It was on this very area that I've spent my time after classes perfecting my fencing and swordsmanship skills, since my Rider form utilizes a broadsword and a large shield, which means I needed to improvise my fighting skills should I want to fight properly.

From my training I've found out that my basic fencing skills wouldn't just do with my broadsword, so I tried different methods of inflicting damage with it. During my evening rests I would sometimes watch episodes of the BBC series _Merlin_ on my laptop, trying to take note on how Arthur and the other knights of Camelot would fight with their swords, before implementing them in my own fighting style. Sometimes I sure wish that Ryuga would give me a rapier-based weapon instead, since it suits my fencing style better. But then again, after a few weeks of practicing with the broadsword, I've pretty much gotten used to it.

For the first few training sessions I've been using the trees around me as my training dummies, slashing, bashing and stabbing them as I honed my skills. It caused a lot of damage though, and I was constantly worried that my secret training would become noticed once people saw the damage that I did on the forest, since after all, it is still under my university's jurisdiction. But after doing some research on my Rider form, I've found out that it has a unique power that helped me with my training sessions lately.

Taking a deep breath, I took out my Sengoku Driver, now with a medieval swordsman's helmet etched on it. I then placed the Driver against my waist, allowing it to secure itself around my body. Lastly I took out my Forbidden Ringo Lockseed, crossing my arms in front of my face as I unlocked the device.

 **RINGO!**

A metallic zipper appeared above me and opened a circular tear on the sky, before a metallic red apple with white ornate markings on it slowly descended down from the tear. From my research, I found out that the tear was called a "Crack," while the metallic apple is called an "Armor Part."

" **Henshin** ," I said, apparently from my research Riders often say that before transforming, since it is the Japanese for "transform."

I placed the Forbidden Ringo Lockseed on my Sengoku Driver and locked it in.

 **LOCK ON!**

Triumphant European fanfare music was heard from my Driver, as if awaiting me to take any action. I have to admit, it was a pretty catchy standby noise and I'm considering of recording it and use it as my phone's ringtone. But knowing that I need to transform, my hand reached for the Cutting Blade, that's the knife-like attachment on my Driver. Pressing it once causes the Blade to slice my Lockseed open.

 **COME ON! RINGO ARMS! DESIRE FORBIDDEN FRUITS~!**

The apple Armor Part immediately dropped down onto my shoulders, forming my bodysuit (called the Ride Wear from my research) in a flash of red light, before the Armor Part unfolds itself to form my chest, back, and shoulder armors, my helmet already forming within the Armor Part before it unfolds. A splash of red energy appeared from my body, forming my shield, called the Apple Reflecter, with my broadsword, called the Sword Bringer, already resting on its sheathe on the back of the Reflecter.

My Rider's name is Kamen Rider Idunn. From my research, I found out that the word Idunn was derived from Iðunn **,** a Nordic goddess associated with apples. A fitting name for my armor, I have to admit.

After my transformation's complete, I slowly walked up towards a nearby tree, and placed my hand in it. Immediately a Crack opened on the tree's surface, opening a gateway towards a strange, misty-looking forest on the other side of the Crack. This is one of the special powers that my Idunn armor has granted to me – the ability to travel into an otherworldly forest with the use of Cracks, which enabled me to do my training uninterrupted. With no one able to discover this forest other than myself, I'm capable of doing my training sessions in peace without the fear of people discovering the damage that I did to the forest, plus it also provided me with training dummies in the form of gray creatures resembling bugs with either red, blue, or green markings.

Today I practiced as usual, slashing at the strange vegetation around me with my Sword Bringer whilst testing the various different sword-fighting styles that suits the Sword Bringer. I tested the styles one by one; slashing several vines before checking them to see which ones has caused the most damage. After deciding the style that delivered the most potent damage as my default sword-fighting style, I decided to take a walk around the forest.

My surroundings are completely alien. Even though it has the same tall trees from back home, most of the vegetation resembled the ones found on Earth during prehistoric times. The predominant type of plant life that I found in this forest, however, is a type of odd-looking vines that grew on the surrounding trees, bushes, rocks, literally everywhere. The vines had purple, bell-shaped fruits on them, fruits that I had never seen before. One thing's for certain though, a lot of my "training dummies" in this forest seems to enjoy eating these fruits as snacks.

Soon enough, I came across a number of these "dummies." There were 5 of them in front of me, one with red markings, three with green, and another one with blue. The grey creatures are busy eating the strange fruits off the vines that grew on a large rock, before they suddenly noticed me standing behind them. Immediately they approached me, apparently interested at a sight of a stranger in their territory. As for me, I got myself a chance to test my skills with these creatures.

Immediately I rushed forward, slamming my Apple Reflecter on a green-marked creature before kicking an approaching red one on its lower jaw. The second green and blue-marked creatures leaped at me simultaneously, only for me to swipe my Apple Reflecter towards them, sending them flying with a loud bang. The third green-marked creature, seeing that I've managed to send its comrades stumbling back, decided to make a run for it towards me, opening its jaws to reveal a fearsome set of jagged teeth, each of them ready to pierce through my Ride Wear and into my skin. Reacting quickly, I pulled out my Sword Bringer from its sheathe and thrusts it straight into the creature's gaping jaws and right through its throat, killing it instantly.

Seeing that I had killed one of its brethren, the remaining two green-marked creatures went towards me again, screeching loudly in anger. But before they could land a hit on me, I reacted first, swinging my Sword Bringer vertically to slice the first green-marked creature in half, before a horizontal slash took out the second one. With my Sword Bringer's blade still stained in the creatures' black blood, I parried an incoming set of punches with my Apple Reflecter, before jamming my Sword Bringer onto the skull of the culprit. The red-marked creature collapsed to the ground, convulsing for a few seconds before death overtook it. Pulling out the Sword Bringer from my latest victim, I stand face to face with the last creature, the blue-marked one. The creature jumped at me, only to receive the Sword Bringer's sharp blade piercing through its chest and straight out of its back.

As I pulled out the Sword Bringer from my last victim's corpse, I suddenly heard a clapping noise coming from behind me.

"Excellent fight you had there. I see that you've been training really hard."

That voice…it sounds really familiar to me. Could it be…

"Ryuga? Is that you?" I asked as I looked around, before finally spotting the black dragon warrior standing behind me, leaning against a tree, "It really is you!"

"I see you've quite enjoyed yourself here in Helheim," Ryuga said, "Your Lockseed has the special power to open up portals called Cracks to this very place. An excellent place indeed to train your skills and to give you an edge over your opponents."

Helheim, huh? So that's the name of this place. But what about those creatures that I fought during my training?

As if he knows what I was asking in my thoughts, Ryuga slowly walked towards me, his red eyes inspecting the corpses around us. Giving out a satisfied nod, he looked at me and said, "Elementary Inves, huh? Boy, you sure know how to make a massacre."

Elementary Inves. So that's the name of those creatures. Noted.

"Anyway, the Game Master sent me here to check on your training," Ryuga said, "And he also wants me to tell you that your time is almost near. In a matter of a few days, I'm going to pick you up and take you to the battlefield. But first, I'm going to ask you once again – are you sure about this, Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh?"

I thought for a moment. Is it really worth it? Leaving behind my newfound friends to fight in a battle to the death using a set of armor that I had bare knowledge of? But then again, all this time I had been living the life that my parents had set up for me since the beginning. The one chance that I had to decide my own path has been destroyed by my parents' decision to send me to Japan. And I have been given another chance to do so. I won't waste this second chance! I, Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh, will decide my own path from now on!

"I'm damn sure about this," I gave Ryuga my confident answer.

"Excellent," Ryuga smirked underneath his helmet, before he snapped his fingers twice.

Suddenly a grey veil appeared next to Ryuga, and what came out of it shocked me to the core. It is a humanoid being, colored a demonic red with a few grey accents thrown into the mix. Its head was a mess, triangular in shape but with an assorted cacophony of bolts in place of a face, a blade-like protrusion coming out of its skull the only notable feature of the humanoid's head. Instead of hands, it has a pair of curved barbed swords in each arm, the humanoid clashing them constantly as if it was eager to tear me apart with those barbed swords. A pair of pointed boots is seen on the humanoid's feet, while an inverted triangle-shaped plaque is seen on the humanoid's chest, colored mainly white with red irregular lines dashed on it, just like blood vessels.

"The Sword Roidmude, your final test," Ryuga said as he slowly retreated into the veil, "Good luck."

As both Ryuga and the veil vanished, the Sword Roidmude slowly came towards me, its barbed swords kept on clashing as sparks flew from the friction they created. I tightened my grip on my Sword Bringer and Apple Reflecter, ready to brace myself for the imminent battle. Something tells me that this Sword Roidmude is much stronger than the Elementary Inves that I usually fought.

The Sword Roidmude made its first move, swinging its left sword towards me. Seeing the incoming attack, I parried it quickly with my Apple Reflecter, a second attack from the Roidmude's right sword meeting the same fate. My opponent then tried to attack me with both swords, which once again was met with the firm resistance of my Apple Reflecter, and that's when I decided to go on the offensive. Forcefully pushing the swords away with my Reflecter, I slashed the Sword Roidmude once with my Sword Bringer, landing a direct hit on its chest. Hmph, easier than I thought; this guy is just as weak as those Elementary Inves.

I was proved wrong seconds later, however. I advanced for a second attack with my Sword Bringer, only for the slash to be parried with the Sword Roidmude's right sword and with my mind preoccupied in trying to break the Roidmude's parry, I left my defense open. The Sword Roidmude slashed my chest with its left sword, a huge shower of sparks flying from where the sword has impacted my armor as I was forced to stumble back. As I recover myself, I was shocked to find that the Sword Roidmude's attack had left a huge gash that dented my chest armor. Shit, this guy is definitely tougher than I thought!

The Sword Roidmude roared, releasing a red wave of energy from its body that spreads across the forest. The wave quickly overtook my body, but I felt no pain whatsoever. 'Huh, this guy must be bluffing!' I thought. Time to attack this sucker once again…

…but wait! What the Hell?!

As my mind tried to focus myself in attacking the Sword Roidmude, I found out that my body isn't responding to my mind at all! My body can move, but not in the speed that I was expecting. My arms and legs are moving at a snail's pace, but my perception of my surroundings remains the same.

It was like I was a prisoner in my own body. Just what the fuck did that energy wave did to me?!

Laughing maniacally, the Sword Roidmude took the advantage to attack me. It charged red energy into those horrible barbed swords on its arms, before firing a pair of crescent-shaped energy blasts from them. As I was rendered a sitting duck, I received the full blunt of the blasts, the resulting explosion managing to obscure my vision. The Sword Roidmude used this to its advantage, rushing towards me and slashing me repeatedly on the torso with those swords. Pain raced through my body as the swords chipped more and more of my chest armor. As I watched on in horror, I could see bits and pieces of my armor flying away with each slash from within the sparks resulted from the attack. The Sword Roidmude then kicked me right on the chest, causing me to drop my weapons as I was forced against a nearby tree. With my body bruised from all of the attacks and my chest armor almost completely destroyed with the addition of the energy wave's effects still affecting my body, I could only watch as the Sword Roidmude rose up its right sword, ready to finish the fight once and for all.

Is this how I'm going to end up? Dying before I could even experience the true excitement of battle that awaits me? No! No way! I've signed up for this, and damn right I will prove my worth!

Suddenly my visor began to glow, startling the Sword Roidmude. Before the creature could react even further, a pair of vines suddenly burst out of the ground and restrained the fiend's ankles, disabling it from moving any further. Two more vines showed up from the trees on the Sword Roidmude's left and right, smacking against the creature's face repeatedly, before the vines wrapped themselves around the Sword Roidmude's neck, choking it. A white energy wave suddenly came out of nowhere, washing over my body before it terminates on the Sword Roidmude's body. And as if a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I found myself capable of moving properly once again. What a relief!

I slowly stood up, trying to come into terms with what just happened, before noticing the Sword Roidmude struggling against the vines wrapped on its neck and ankles. If these vines are part of the Forbidden Ringo Lockseed's power, it certainly has given me the advantage that I needed in this fight!

Quickly I grabbed my Sword Bringer and with an enthusiastic yell, I rushed towards the Sword Roidmude, who had just torn itself free from the vines restraining it. Before it could recover itself, I delivered a pair of slashes onto the Roidmude's torso, applying every single swordsmanship skills that I've learned so far to dealt punishment onto the Sword Roidmude's body. I didn't even gave it a chance to retaliate as I mercilessly slashed the fiend's body repeatedly, smoke billowing out from the Sword Roidmude's wounds as it stumbled back. But I was far from finished.

Recalling every fencing technique that my teacher had taught me back in Vietnam, I began to stab the weakened Sword Roidmude's body with my Sword Bringer, sparks flying as I penetrated the Roidmude with every strike, weakening it even further. A roundhouse kick to the head finishes the combo and the now barely alive Sword Roidmude was forced to stumble back once again, this time incapable of doing anything as I prepared for my finisher. I sliced my Lockseed once with my Cutting Blade.

 **COME ON! RINGO SQUASH!**

White energy swirled into the blade of my Sword Bringer as I prepared the finishing blow. The Sword Roidmude could only watch as I stepped back, the Sword Bringer in hand, before charging forward, the energized blade of the Sword Bringer in front of me. And with a loud, triumphant yell, I stabbed the Sword Bringer through the Sword Roidmude's chest plaque.

" _En garde_ ," I said coldly as I pulled out the Sword Bringer and turned around, walking away from the mortally wounded Sword Roidmude as it fell on its knees, exploding seconds afterwards.

Unknown to me, a metallic number that reads out "007" was seen flying out from the explosion, before it disappeared into thin air.

" _Well done_ ," I heard Ryuga's voice speaking inside my mind as I picked up my Apple Reflecter, " _You have lived up to the Game Master's expectation. I can say that you've passed your final test_."

"Easy for you to say," I said rather sarcastically as I opened up a Crack to take me back home, "I almost died out there!"

Ryuga chuckled, " _The other Riders in the war will be much more ruthless than that Sword Roidmude_."

"Fair enough," I said, "Looks like I need to step up my training then."

" _The day of your summoning will come soon_ ," Ryuga said, " _Take some rest and train yourself even harder. The battles ahead of you will be tough_."

I nodded weakly as I stepped out of the Crack, collapsing on my knee the moment I came out of Helheim and back into the familiar sight of the forest surrounding my campus. Slowly I closed up my Lockseed, causing my armor to dissolve in motes of red light.

Immediately after I reverted back into my normal self, I collapsed on my back, bruises and cuts littered my body, and I could feel that a few of my ribs has been broken. Sweat drenched my body completely, with some blood stains can be seen visibly on my shirt. I slowly placed my fingers on one of the stains, only to wince after a jolt of pain raced from where I placed my finger before traveling throughout my body. The stains were actually bleeding cuts that the Sword Roidmude had made on my body.

Panting heavily, I looked up at the sky. The Sun was almost setting, and the skies are rather cloudy today. I weakly looked at my wristwatch, before letting out an irritated sigh upon knowing what time is it.

"God damn it," I cursed aloud as I suddenly remembered the karaoke appointment I had with Minh earlier, "How the fuck am I supposed to explain to Minh about these?!"

 **xxx**

 **Two weeks later**

The first day of classes has started. For our first semester, most of our classes are Japanese language classes, so I won't have to deal with those boring management classes for now. But still, I can't wait for the day I leave this godforsaken place. Ryuga said that he'd picked me up soon, but it has been two weeks since he said that. During that time I stepped up my training to prepare myself for the upcoming battles ahead. My fight against the Sword Roidmude made me realize that the battles awaiting me will be tough and I might die some point in the war, which is why I had been training harder than usual.

Since it is the first day of class, we spent the entire morning introducing ourselves in Japanese. Right now, a tall, dark-skinned young man with short, spiky black hair and wearing a combination of a blue football shirt and blue denim jeans is introducing himself in front of class.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Krishna Sadhana, and I'm from Indonesia. I hope that we could get along with each other in this class. Nice to meet you all."

Listening to the man's introduction in a rather inattentive manner, I started to hear a faint ringing noise in my ears. Shaking my head, I decided to dismiss it as a small coincidence, since last night I did slept with my earphones on listening to some music. As the other students began to introduce themselves, my eyes began to scan my classmates. Minh's in my class as well, along with Chan, another Vietnamese girl who I made friends with during Minh's karaoke night out. Coming from Da Nang, I heard that the redhead is quite popular amongst the Vietnamese students here, a queen bee type of student. Kinda reminds me of me back in high school to be honest. Other than those two, the other faces that I saw in this class are quite new.

"Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh," our _sensei_ called my name, "Please introduce yourself."

I slowly stood up, clearing my throat to ease away any anxiety, before I walked up to the front of the class. As I stood there, I could felt that everyone's very anxious to hear my introduction. Okay Two, you can do this.

Aw shit, why the heck did that ringing noise came back? It is even louder than before. But not wanting to lose face in front of my classmates, I decided to ignore that annoying ringing and go ahead with my introduction.

"Hello everyone. My name is Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh, but you can call me Two. I'm from Hanoi, Vietnam. Nice to meet you all."

Well, that went well. Better go to the restroom after class to check what's wrong with me.

 **xxx**

Immediately after class is over, I ran towards the restroom. There, I looked at myself in the mirror, trying to get a grip of myself. During class, having to endure the continuing ringing in my ears, that annoying headache that I had during my final days in Hanoi suddenly decided to come back. It was a miracle I managed to make myself unnoticed in class.

On my way to the restroom, I overheard that guy Krishna and Minh talking something about the former having headaches as well. That's strange, two people in the same class having headaches? This must be a strange coincidence. Anyway he's checking it to the infirmary. Better go there once I get some fresh water on my face.

I bent down and turned on the faucet, collecting some water on my right palm to wash my face, hopefully to ease off the headaches. But just as I stood right back up again, I was surprised to see Ryuga standing in place of my reflection in the mirror.

"It's time," Ryuga said.

Before I could react, the black dragon warrior grabbed me by the shoulders with his hands and dragged me into the mirror.

And that, my dear readers, is the last day I, Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh, lived her life as a girl living out her parents dreams. I have become…a warrior destined to create and live out her own dreams.

 **xxx**

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

I slowly opened my eyes to see that I'm currently dropping into a strange looking grey vortex, which seems to have no end at all. Ryuga was behind me, his hands wrapped around my waist firmly as if he doesn't want me to fall uncontrollably into the vortex. Our eyes met, with Ryuga clearly sensing my fear from what he has seen on my eyes…and also from that yell that I let out earlier. Oops.

"Be quiet," Ryuga sternly said, "We will arrive at our destination shortly."

"Arrive? Where?" I asked.

"The place where Riders gather to fight it out," Ryuga simply said, before he notices a bright light at the end of the vortex, "There it is."

Ryuga held on me tightly as the two of us entered into the light, the shining flash blinding me momentarily as everything around me went white.

 **xxx**

A grey veil appeared suddenly on the sky and we fell from it like a pair of skydivers falling out of their plane. My eyes were closed shut, that flash of light earlier had forced me to close them as it was too much for me. But luckily, with Ryuga by my side, we managed to land safely and gently on terra firma on our feet, without any parachutes! Man, that Ryuga guy sure has a lot of cool powers at his disposal.

The moment our feet has touched the ground, I opened my eyes once again. What lies ahead of me completely blew me off my feet.

"Wow…"

In front of me and Ryuga lies a huge, futuristic-looking city, with a multitude of skyscrapers decorating the sky. It was something that I had never seen before. I've been to Tokyo and New York before, and those two cities are nothing compared to this!

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Welcome to Tokusat City."

A blonde-haired girl with a purple dress floating on an open tome suddenly appeared behind me and Ryuga, and whilst the latter greeted the girl immediately with a polite bow, I was left with my jaws open wide. I mean, call me crazy and stuff, but isn't floating girls only exists in fiction?

"Histoire-san," Ryuga said, "I have brought the girl just as the Game Master has requested."

"Well this is interesting," the floating girl said as she inspected me from head to toe, "Usually when you bring new players here, they're usually in a state of confusion and I and the other CPUs had to fill them in on what's going on. This one looked…surprised, but in a good way, just like a kid being brought to a huge toy store."

"You don't hear this often, Histoire-san, but the Game Master and I actually agreed on something," Ryuga said, "She's one of the few rare players who are _**willing**_ to join this war."

"That's true," I nodded, "All my life, my destiny has been predetermined by the ones who have raised me, and I am living their life, instead of the life that I wanted. This…battle royale thing is the moment that I have been waiting for, the moment where I could finally decide my own life, the moment when I could finally be free and be myself…even though I have to pay it with my life."

"I like your spirit, Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh," the floating girl smiled.

"Please, call me Two," I smiled back, before putting up a rather confused look, "Wait, how do you know my name?"

The floating girl giggled, "We know everything about you, Two. The Game Master knows everything about his players."

"Now if you excuse me, I must go to pick up the other players," Ryuga said as he created another grey veil behind him, stepping back as he said, "The Game Master won't be pleased if I don't do my job on time. Fill her in on what's going around here, will you Histoire-san?"

"Sure thing, Ryuga-san!" the floating girl waved at Ryuga, "Take care!"

As Ryuga disappeared into the veil, the floating girl turned her attention towards me.

"Ah, how rude I am for not introducing myself to you first," the floating girl smiled, "My name is Histoire, Oracle of Planeptune, and welcome to Tokusat City."

"Tokusat City? You said that twice already," I said, "What is it?"

"The city for everything tokusatsu," Histoire replied with a smile, before a somber look overtook her face, "And also the battlefield for the Kamen Rider War. I believe Ryuga has told you, right? People from your world are taken and brought into this world, are given transformation devices of Kamen Riders from the Heisei or the Neo-Heisei Era, and they fight each other to the death."

"Yeah, he told me that alright," I nodded, "But the opportunity to use my fencing skills to the fullest, going toe to toe with some of the best warriors out there…it's an honor for me to be in this war, Histoire. Even though I might have to die, at least I died while doing the thing that I enjoyed the most…fighting the beautiful art of fencing."

A sad smile broke out on Histoire's face, "My dear, you don't know the full consequences of this war, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"A Kamen Rider is supposed to be a hero of justice, the ones who protect the innocent from evil," Histoire said somberly, "But the Game Master…he…he used them as tools of his sick whim, as mere toys to pleasure his sick mind! I know…even though at this early stage of the war no one has lost their lives yet…but as an Oracle, I have seen a lot of things. I have seen what this can lead to….death and destruction."

I could only stood silently after listening to what Histoire has said. Is everything that she said true?

"The ones who die here…they will die permanently," Histoire continues, "Are you sure you want to do this, Two? This isn't a video game where you can reset everything and things will go your way. Once you screw up, you will die for real. And you…you have to take the life of someone else in battle…I just can't…I just can't imagine someone like you doing that…"

My God, what have I signed up for?

As if understanding my plight, Histoire went towards me and gave me two items on my hands. The first one is a was a device that resembled a thinned out pane of glass-like metal, while the other one is a rose-themed Lockseed on it, the code **L.V-02** written on the said Lockseed.

"I hope these items will help you in your quest ahead," Histoire said.

"Quest?" I asked, "What quest?"

"Activate your Y-Gear," Histoire replied, "That's the thinned out pane of metal on your right hand. Just run your finger against it."

I obeyed and placed the rose Lockseed on the ground next to me, before scrolling my finger against the pane of metal, which is called the Y-Gear, I guess. Immediately the device activates, displaying a holographic list that surprised me to the core.

The list displayed a few familiar faces and their Rider designations. There's Krishna, the Indonesian guy from Japanese class. He's been designated as Kamen Rider Baron. There's also Minh, one of my first friends in campus. She's Kamen Rider Duke. There's also a girl named Wind, from what I heard she's Minh's best friend. She has been designated as Kamen Rider Marika. Chan's also there, the queen bee is Kamen Rider Zangetsu. Finally, there's a girl named Meika. I may do not know her that much, but from what I heard, she's a part of Chan's extended posse. She has been designated as Kamen Rider Sigurd. And finally there's myself, as Kamen Rider Idunn.

What the fuck. Apparently I'm not alone in this Kamen Rider War. My new friends are also jumping into the party, but I did not know whether they're joining by their own volition…or this Game Master figure is forcing them into this battle royale to the death thing. But whichever's which, I can't just stand around and do nothing. I need to do something.

"I've managed to procure the data of these people from the Game Master without him knowing when he's drafting the Rider designations for the war," Histoire said, "I want you to find these people and urge them to join your side before it's too late. Ryuga's picking them up right now, so I need you to reach them first before they get into too much trouble. There are a few factions forming here, and if either of them falls to the wrong faction…well, I can say that they're beyond saving if that happens."

"Why's that?" I asked.

Histoire continues her explanation, "You see, there are a three major factions in this war, all of them divided based on the Riders that they're assigned to. We've got the Main Riders, who are the main protagonists of the Kamen Rider series that they got their designation from. There's the Side Riders, the Riders who helped the Main Riders in their respective series. And then there's the Dark Riders, the Riders who opposes justice and commit a variety of unforgiveable sins."

"And you're telling me this because…"

"Ah, you haven't seen _Kamen Rider Gaim_ , have you?" Histoire smiled, "Let me tell you this briefly. Kamen Rider Idunn, your Rider identity, is originally Touka Akatsuki, and she did a number of sins donning the armor, even though her sins are well-intentioned. You see, there's this shady organization called Yggdrasill Corporation, they may seem nice on the outside, but actually they're planning to commit genocide on the Earth's population, leaving only one sixth of the population to survive."

"That's horrible," I gasped.

"It is," Histoire continued, "Now back to Touka, she's been using her Kamen Rider Idunn identity to take out several members of Yggdrasill, but her motive was revenge, because the corporation had used her as an experiment subject when she was a child."

"Yikes. That means she's originally a Dark Rider?"

"Well…sort of. This brings us to our next sort of case. Kaito Kumon, Kamen Rider Baron. He may seem like your typical anti-hero, but he's actually the final villain of _Gaim_."

"You're kidding me," I said.

"I don't joke for this kind of stuff," Histoire replied, "Kaito has this ambition that the weak must stand up against the strong that has been oppressing them, but in achieving that noble goal, he wants to destroy the world and rebuild it to suit his ambition."

"Holy shit."

"Duke's even worse," Histoire said, "Ryoma Sengoku was a scientist with a severe God complex. Unlike Idunn and Baron, Duke's definitely a Dark Rider. Ryoma manipulates most of the events in _Gaim_ so that he could attain the means of becoming a god, or creating a god. He's also amoral, a dirty coward, and a manipulative bastard."

Oh my God. I can't imagine a friendly girl such as Minh being designated with the armor of such a despicable man.

"Thankfully Takatora Kureshima's a much more honorable man," Histoire continues, "Even though in the beginning of _Gaim_ he was portrayed as an arrogant, ruthless realist, deep down he cares about humanity and is quite heroic. Kamen Rider Zangetsu's definitely a Side Rider. But the same can't be said about Kamen Rider Sigurd. Lock Dealer Sid is a completely arrogant and sociopathic man, who tends to bully other people and takes pleasure in attacking the weak. Kamen Rider Sigurd is a Dark Rider alright."

"And what about Marika?" I asked.

"Like Idunn and Baron, Kamen Rider Marika is also a sort of case," Histoire answered, "You see, Yoko Minato is initially loyal to that bastard Ryoma Sengoku, until she met Kaito Kumon. After Ryoma fled the Earth like the coward that he is during the Inves attack on Zawame City, Yoko worked together along with Kaito and the other heroes in fending off the Inves, but later on as Kaito became a full-fledged villain, Yoko decided to stay by his side. So yeah, another Rider on the grey area."

I nodded, now understanding Histoire's fears on why I should find my friends as soon as possible. Minh's the one that I'm most concerned about, since out of the five people that I need to find, I knew her the most. If Histoire's recollection on this Ryoma Sengoku, the man who was previously Kamen Rider Duke, was right…and Minh ends up becoming just like him…that's just…unimaginable.

"I'll accept this quest, Histoire," I said firmly, "But first thing's first…why me? Why tell me this information and why specifically should I find these five people?"

"Because…" Histoire slowly floated near my ear and whispered something. I can't tell what she's telling me right now, but what I can tell you, my dear readers, it was so shocking, my eyes immediately went wide after hearing that and my determination became even more fired up than before.

"I'll do it, Histoire," I gave the Oracle of Planeptune a confident nod, "If we're the ones like you said we were, we're going to do our part to make sure that what you're fearing will never happen."

"I believe in you, Two," Histoire smiled, "Even though your armor belongs to someone who is morally ambiguous, but you have a good heart, and I believe with your guidance, your friends will not fall into the dark side. Now, open up that rose Lockseed and throw it in front of you."

I pocketed my Y-Gear and picked up the rose Lockseed, unlocking it before throwing said Lockseed in front of me. Immediately the Lockseed unfolds itself into a rose-themed Honda XR250, much to my amazement.

"The Rose Attacker," Histoire said, "This will help you get around Tokusat City easily. Now, you're free to go, but if a notification called Rider Alert shows up in your Y-Gear, you need to go to the alert location immediately. I've already calibrated it to give you notifications on your five friends. If any of them is in trouble, you need to back them up immediately."

"Got it," I nodded, hopping onto the motorcycle before igniting the vehicle's engine, "Wish me luck, okay?"

Histoire nodded as I rode away from her. A brief, yet sad smile appeared on her face as she watched me disappear from her sight.

"Good luck, Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh. Something tells me that your mission is going to be really tough…"

 **xxx**

And flash-forward to me right now. After around two hours of exploring Tokusat City, I got a Rider Alert on my Y-Gear and immediately headed off towards the source of the alert. It led me to the Tokusat City Central Shopping Complex or the CSC as the locals would call it. Weaving through the heavy traffic, I soon arrive at the CSC and was treated by the sight of battle. A yellow and red banana-themed armored warrior is battling a purple cobra-themed armored warrior, with the latter having the upper-hand. If that list was right, the banana-themed warrior is Kamen Rider Baron, which means that's Krishna fighting a losing battle out there.

Knowing that I must do something to help him, I immediately transformed into Kamen Rider Idunn and slowly made my way into battle. And what a time for me to intervene as well, as the purple cobra-themed warrior has managed to slash Baron to the ground, pinning the banana-themed Rider with his left foot before kicking Baron repeatedly. By the time I had approached the two combatants, the cobra warrior has rolled Baron over, the banana-themed Rider's abdomen facing up. Slowly the cobra warrior raised up his spiral sword, ready to stab the life out of Baron.

"Not in my watch," I muttered, raising up my Sword Bringer and placing it over my left shoulder.

White energy glowed on my Sword Bringer's blade as I slashed the air a couple of times, releasing a pair of white energy slashes that ripped through the air rapidly before the slashes hit the cobra warrior right on his back, knocking him off balance with a groan of pain. Slowly Baron stood up as I made my way into the fray, ready to do anything that I can to help him out.

"Stand up, Krishna Sadhana," I said, pointing my sword at the recovering Baron, "Stand up and let's fight together!"

Baron was clearly surprised by my sudden appearance, "Two?! What are you doing here?"

"Saving your bacon, of course," I said as I approached Baron, who suddenly collapsed on his right knee, prompting me to help him back to his feet, "You okay?"

"I'm good," Baron said, coughing slightly before he dusts himself off, "Just got a wee bit injured, that's all."

"You got kicked and slashed repeatedly," I replied in a stern tone, "That's not a wee bit at all!"

"I'll be fine," Baron said, chuckling a little, "Thanks for the help anyway."

"We may barely know each other apart from name now," I said, patting Baron on his right shoulder, "But for now, I'm the only person that you knew here. You just got here too, right?"

"Yeah, I just got here," Baron replied, before gasping, "Hey, how did you know?"

"Histoire sent me here," I smiled underneath my helmet, "She said that a certain newbie banana Rider needs my help."

"Hey, this newbie here knows more about the Kamen Riders than you do," Baron retorted, his tone indicating slight annoyance.

"Yada-yada," I rolled my eyes, "So who's the purple punk here?"

"Kamen Rider Ouja," Baron replied, "I saved a young girl from being raped by him. Be careful, from what I've known, he's a dangerous opponent."

"Well then," I said, picking up Baron's fallen spear before offering it to him, "They say that two heads are better than one, right?"

"You little shits," suddenly we heard a slightly raspy groan from the purple cobra…er I mean Kamen Rider Ouja, who has slowly regained his stature, "How dare you fuck with me, you bloody shitheads!"

"That's our cue to fight then," Baron said, accepting the spear from me, "You ready, Two?"

"Ready as you are, Krishna," I replied, "This guy's going down."

Baron and I grabbed our respective weapons, the Sword Bringer for me, and Baron's spear (which he calls the Banaspear) for Krishna. Meanwhile our opponent, Kamen Rider Ouja, prepped up his spiral sword, which is called the Veno Saber. Unknown to me, a 17-year old girl with long, purple hair styled in two low twintails and turquoise eyes is watching the unfolding battle from the sidelines, an anxious look etched on her face.

A tense silence fell over the CSC as we faced each other. And then, as if an invisible whistle has been blown to signal the beginning of the battle, we charged towards each other.

The battle has entered a new round.

 **xxx**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **xxx**

 **A/N: And that's it! The second chapter of the first arc of the Kamen Rider War Side Stories. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Sorry for the rather long update, I got hit with a slight writer's block, plus my trusted laptop got a virus and it took a while to clean it all up. But all is well now with my laptop, don't worry lol. Also my university classes have started since October 5** **th** **, so I would update slightly slower than usual. I'll continue writing when I have the time, don't worry. And remember when I said that we're going to have Baron + Idunn vs. Ouja in this chapter? Well I just realized that putting that into this chapter would make it reaaaaaallllllyyyyyy long, since I did a quite a lot for Two's backstory. So I'm going to put the battle at the beginning of chapter three, which is going to be a slight filler chapter with Nozomi helping Krishna and Two settling into life in Tokusat City. Our next backstory will be on chapter four, with Minh and Wind taking center stage! Don't forget to leave your reviews^^**

 **P.S. the two Riders making a cameo when Ryuga showed Two a glimpse of the War are Kamen Riders Mach and Dark Kabuto. While Dark Kabuto is another OC of mine, Mach is an OC from Kamen rider Lord. A huge shout out for him :D**

 **This is maxpower02 signing off!**


	3. Coming to Grips

**A/N: Whazzup guys! maxpower02 is in da house! *woot woot* First of all thank you for the people who has sent their reviews for chapter two. To Gadget the Critic, thank you for your compliment, and as I said, if you really have the idea of making a side story for H.E.L.P, quoting the great Shia LaBeouf, "JUST DO IT!" It's only the matter of whether you have time or not to make it. And don't worry; I'll assist you as much as you can for your side story. As long as the idea exist, anything's possible :)). And to Kamen rider Lord, I'm glad that you liked the second chapter and Mach's cameo in it. Yes, Mach and Dark Kabuto are quite close before the War, but wouldn't it become a spoiler if I tell it right now lol. Indeed, that fight is going to be in Mach's side story.**

 **Alright, time for chapter three of the story, and unlike the previous two chapters, this is a filler chapter. It revolves around Nozomi Tojo helping Krishna Sadhana and Nguyen Phuoc "Two" Khanh Linh in settling into their new lives in Tokusat City. Also, we're going to see a cameo from another one of my OCs, the appearance of the other characters from** _ **Love Live! School Idol Project**_ **and a few Dark Riders (in their civilian forms) as well! And also unlike the other two chapters, this is going to switch between Nozomi's point of view and a 3** **rd** **person point of view.**

 **P.S. I strongly recommend you to read NecroGod's Kamen Rider War before you read this. Otherwise you wouldn't get the story :p**

 **Alright, without further ado, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any other series that I crossover.**

 **xxx**

 **(Nozomi's POV)**

My name is Nozomi Tojo. I'm a third year student at Otonokizaka High School, and also the school's student council vice president. And today…I have to admit that today has been the freakiest day of my life.

Well it started quite normally, with classes and club meetings and stuff. Today during club meeting we've talked about the frequent appearance of masked warriors around Tokusat City, including our beloved "Hero of Otonokizaka," a mysterious white masked warrior that protected our school. We called them Kamen Riders, since they usually wear masks and go around town on motorcycles. And with the recent plague of inhuman creatures that has been targeting the people of Tokusat City lately; their presence is a huge relief.

After club meeting, Elicchi and I went to the CSC to grab some parfaits. After that, having dropped off Elicchi at the bus stop, I proceeded to do some window shopping when this creepy young man with a strange accent suddenly came in front of me and started to flirt with me. At first I thought that he was a fan – I'm quite popular at school, you know – but then he started to say some inappropriate words to me and even grouped my breasts! Obviously I was disgusted, so I decided to run off, trying my best to avoid that man, only for him to corner me on an alleyway. But before he could do anything to me, another young man showed up and saved me from that pervert. I haven't seen him before, but somehow, he knows my name.

And then suddenly that perv took out a strange purple rectangle and use it to transform himself into one of those Kamen Riders that me and my friends has been talking about lately! I could not believe it! How a Kamen Rider like him could do such nasty things to me! He was even beating the crap out of the guy who saved me! Is he nuts or what?! Kamen Riders are supposed to fight monsters, not civilians!

But then, the man who saved me revealed himself as another Kamen Rider! And then he bravely took on that pervert in front of my eyes. I can't believe what I've seen! Two Kamen Riders fighting each other and I was lucky (or unfortunate, I don't know) enough to see it firsthand! Everything that has happened made me realize two things. A, not all Kamen Riders are people who fight for justice and the safety of civilians, there are also some Kamen Riders who fight for their own gain and even use their powers to commit crimes. And B, even though there are some evil Kamen Riders, there will always be another Kamen Rider determined to stop them for the sake of the people, with the same determination that they have in stopping the monsters attacking Tokusat City.

Sadly that perverted Kamen Rider had the upper-hand in battle and he managed to knock down my savior. But just as he was about to kill the man who has saved me…another Kamen Rider showed up to save the day, apparently a friend of the man who saved me. Oooh, this is getting more and more exciting! Good luck, the banana and apple-themed Kamen Riders! Bring justice to that perverted cobra Kamen Rider!

 **xxx**

 _ **KAMEN RIDER WAR – THE SIDE STORIES**_

 **xxx**

 **(3** **rd** **person POV)**

 **(Cue BGM: Virtue and Vice – Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas)**

Kamen Riders Baron and Idunn charged into battle, letting out battle cries as they gripped their weapons tightly. On the other side of the battlefield, Kamen Rider Ouja cracked his neck as he walked into battle, his Veno Saber in hand.

Immediately as Baron and Idunn approached him, Ouja took a swing, trying to attack the two Riders with his Veno Saber, only for Baron to quickly parry it with his Banaspear, allowing Idunn to seize the opening by slashing Ouja across his torso with the Sword Bringer. Stunned by the slash, Ouja was further knocked back by a simultaneous kick to the chest by both Baron and Idunn, causing Ouja to fall on his bottom.

Hissing in anger, Ouja quickly jumped up and struck Idunn on the cheek with a quick left hook, before going in with another swipe of his Veno Saber. Idunn was quick to recover from that punch, however, and immediately the Apple Reflecter greeted the incoming Veno Saber, rendering Ouja's attempt for naught. Taking advantage of a distracted Ouja, Idunn quickly pushed the cobra Rider with the Apple Reflecter before performing a vertical slash on the evil Rider's chest with the Sword Bringer, before Baron came into the fray and slashed the stunned Ouja across the stomach with the Banaspear, a shower of sparks coming from where the weapon made contact.

"God damn it!" Ouja cursed as he stumbled back, his left hand clutching his wounded stomach, "I…will…not…lose…to…the…like…of…you…assholes!"

Ditching the Veno Saber, Ouja took out his Veno Visor once again, before pulling a card from his Advent Deck. The card has an image of a purple cobra monster on it.

 **ADVENT!**

Suddenly from a fountain nearby the battling Riders, a huge purple mechanical cobra monster bursts out of the water, roaring aloud.

"Get them," Ouja commanded, pointing at both Baron and Idunn, who are startled by the monster's sudden appearance.

Venosnaker, Ouja's Contract Monster, lets out another roar as it slithered towards both Baron and Idunn, firing a glob of white liquid from its mouth. Seeing the incoming danger, both Baron and Idunn jumped out of the way, causing the liquid to hit a nearby store door instead. Much to Baron and Idunn's horror, the liquid causes the wooden door to melt away into nothingness.

"Shit, acidic venom," Baron muttered, remembering Venosnaker's signature attack from his experience of watching _Kamen Rider Ryuki_ back home.

"I'll handle this," Idunn said, quickly dodging a swipe from Venosnaker's tail before slicing her Lockseed with her Cutting Blade twice.

 **COME ON! RINGO AU LAIT!**

Idunn quickly threw her Apple Reflecter towards Venosnaker, which the Contract Monster quickly bit onto with its gaping jaws, causing the shield to slowly melt away from Venosnaker's venom. But that's just what Idunn had planned for.

As Idunn gripped the Sword Bringer with both of her hands, white energy has gathered on the weapon's blade, increasing its length by threefold. With a mighty heave, Idunn swung down the energized Sword Bringer, inflicting a huge scar on the distracted Venosnaker's head. Squealing in pain, Venosnaker shook its injured head in disorientation before it retreated back into the fountain, much to the dismay of its master.

"Hey! Come back here!" Ouja yelled.

"Head's up!" Baron yelled as he jumped to the air and struck Ouja right on the skull with an impromptu flying side kick, "You should have kept your focus in battle."

An angry Ouja quickly grabbed his Veno Saber again and tried to slash Baron, only for the banana Rider to quickly parry the incoming slash with his Banaspear, the two Riders quickly trying to push each other off balance. But Baron was the stronger of the two; with a swift kick, he quickly disarmed Ouja, allowing him to seize the opening where he executed a couple of slashes with his Banaspear onto Ouja's body, throwing the evil Rider off balance. Now presented with the opportunity to finish the fight, Baron sliced his Lockseed once.

 **COME ON! BANANA SQUASH!**

As the disarmed Ouja tried to attack Baron once again, the banana Rider slowly gripped his Banaspear with both hands, before twisting his right hand slightly on the weapon's handle. A large yellow energy banana was formed on the Banaspear, before Baron swiftly thrusts the energized weapon several times onto Ouja's body, the energy banana striking the cobra Rider repeatedly, before the final thrust lands the banana right on Ouja's V-Buckle, dislodging the Advent Deck from the buckle.

 **(BGM ends)**

The Advent Deck landed first on the ground, billowing with smoke but undamaged, with Ouja collapsing next to it, his armor shattering away as he reverted back to a bruised and battered Nick. The Australian glared at both Baron and Idunn in anger, as he struggled to stand up.

"Now, to finish you off, you bastard," Baron growled, gripping onto his Banaspear tightly as he marched towards Nick, only for Idunn to stop him by grabbing his right shoulder.

"Krishna, that's enough," Idunn said, "If you kill that man right here right now, you're no different than him. My teacher once told me, there is no honor in striking down a weakened enemy."

"But he almost raped a young girl!" Baron protested.

"Krishna, enough," Idunn said, "We've given him his comeuppance already. He's too injured to fight back. I hope what we did have given him a tough lesson. But if he does it again…I can guarantee that we'll give him a beating that he won't forget."

"Fine," Baron sighed, slowly lowering his Banaspear as he stepped back to stand right next to Idunn, before giving Nick one final glare, "We're sparing you for now. But if you dare try to do something like _**THAT**_ again…we won't be this generous to you."

"I won't forget this!" Nick gritted his teeth in anger as he pocketed his Advent Deck, before making a quick limp away from the CSC, defeated and humiliated.

Baron and Idunn closed up their Lockseeds, causing their armors to disintegrate in motes of yellow and red lights. Immediately after reverting back into normal, a bruised and bloody Krishna collapsed to his knees from his injuries and fatigue, earning a concerned gasp from Two.

"Krishna!" Two said as she helped Krishna back to his feet, "Are you okay?"

"I'm good," Krishna tried to fight off the pain raging throughout his body as he attempted to smile, "Don't worry, it's just a scratch. I'll be alright."

"You _baka_ , you're a bloody pulp!" said a worried Two, "I'm going to treat your injuries now. Stay still, will you?"

Krishna nodded slowly as Two laid him down on the ground. The young woman immediately went back to her Rose Attacker and grabbed a first aid kit there, before rushing back to Krishna to tend to his injuries.

Whilst Two is busy taking care of Krishna, Nozomi slowly came out of hiding, a relieved smile on her face.

 **xxx**

 **Arc I: The Chaos Insurgency**

 **Chapter III: Coming to Grips**

 **As told from Nozomi's and a third person's points of view**

 **xxx**

 **(Nozomi's POV)**

I slowly emerged from my hiding spot the moment the sound of metal clashing around me has ceased, having hid myself behind a large pot to avoid myself from being caught in the crossfire. Much to my relief, the banana and apple Kamen Riders has emerged victorious, with that pervert nowhere to be seen. But the man who saved me was injured from all the punishment he'd received from his opponent, with his friend tending to his injuries.

I slowly made my way to my saviors to thank them for what they have done…as well as to compliment them on such an awesome battle. I can see the whole thing from my hiding spot, you know.

"Thanks a lot for saving me," I said as I got close to them, "You guys were awesome! As expected from Kamen Riders like you guys."

"Kamen Riders?" the man who saved me asked, a surprised look on his bandaged face, "You know about them as we…ack! Two, easy with the Betadine! That hurts, you know…"

"Krishna, it won't hurt if you stay still!" replied the man's friend, "I need to apply these to your wounds so that they won't get infected."

"Fine," the man sighed, before he turned his attention towards me, "Again, do you know anything about the Kamen Riders?"

"Well, not that much," I answered, "My friends and I have been talking about them at school lately. As you see, there has been a plague of monsters that has been attacking Tokusat City lately and coinciding with their appearances, masked warriors began to appear to help people out. We call them Kamen Riders since they wear masks and witnesses often say that they use motorcycles to get around the city. But then again…"

My voice became slightly strained as tears began to form in my eyes, as the traumatic memories from my encounter with that perverted man began to surface.

"…I found out today that not all Kamen Riders are good guys," I continued in a somber tone, "Turns out some of them are just as bad as the monsters themselves."

"We're sorry to hear that," the man's friend said.

"But be assured," added the man, "There are more good Kamen Riders in this world than the ones who abused their power for evil. You just gotta believe in that."

I nodded, slowly wiping away the tears in my eyes, before suddenly I realized something, "Hey, we haven't met before, right? Then how come did you know my name?"

"Ah yes," the man sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "I said that I'm going to explain that, right? I think we should go to somewhere…much discreet than this."

I looked around to saw that the CSC has started to wriggle back to life, with the newly arrived visitors shocked at the shopping complex's damaged state, as well as displaying concerned looks for the injured man and his exhausted friend in front of me.

"You've got a point," I said, "Where shall we go then?"

 **xxx**

Around 20 minutes later, the man and his friend had taken me to an abandoned warehouse located just at the outskirts of Tokusat City's Side 6 District, the city's industrial area. Going there by two rose-themed motorcycles, I asked the man to allow me to ride with him, only for his friend to forbid me because of his injuries, thus leading me to ride along with her instead.

When we arrived at the warehouse, we were greeted with the sight of several bags and a large burgundy luggage being stacked neatly in the middle of the warehouse. A delighted smile soon broke out on the man's face as he saw the items.

"Alright! Just as I left them," the man grinned as he inspects the bags and luggage, "There are a couple of bags and a luggage that I'm not familiar with. Two, are these yours?"

"Could be," the man's friend replied, "I didn't bring anything with me when I came here. Histoire must have moved them here for me."

"Probably," the man nodded as he sat on the luggage, "Alright, where shall we start? Shall we explain about ourselves first or you go first?"

"The honor's yours," I replied.

"Alright then," the man cleared his throat, "My name is Krishna Sadhana, but you may know me as my Rider form, Kamen Rider Baron."

"I'm Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh, or Two if that's too difficult for you," Krishna's friend introduced herself, "But you may know me as Kamen Rider Idunn."

"And you must be Nozomi Tojo, right?" Krishna asked.

"Indeed I am," I nodded, "How did you know?"

"Well, call us crazy and stuff…but from where we come from…you're a fictional character," said Krishna, despite the sheer ridiculousness of his words, his tone seemed dead serious to me.

"Really?" I gasped.

"Really," Krishna nodded, "From where we come from, you're a character from a famous Japanese anime called _Love Live! School Idol Project_. It's about 9 girls who formed a school idol group to save their school from being closed down and later on compete to become the number one school idol in Japan."

"You can't be serious," I scoffed, "Really? School idols? I'm sorry, but I'm no idol here. I'm just an average student; the only highlight about me is that I'm the vice president of my school's student council."

"Well, that part's the only difference," Krishna said, "In the anime; you're also the vice president of your school's student council. Tell me; is the name of your school Otonokizaka High School?"

What the?! How does he know the name of my school? Did he stalk me or something?! Okay Nozomi, be cool, just act calm. This man just saved your life. He couldn't possibly have malicious intents like that Nick Killian guy. Just nod and play cool.

"Alright," Krishna spoke the moment I nod, "Do you know these names? Honoka Kousaka?"

I nodded.

"Umi Sonoda?"

I nodded again.

"Kotori Minami?"

Once again I nodded. Holy crap. Not only did he know about my school, he also knew about my friends!

"Maki Nishikino? Hanayo Koizumi? Rin Hoshizora? Eli Ayase? Nico Yazawa?"

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. I literally nodded like a bobble-head there. This man has literally freaked me out.

"I knew it," Krishna nodded, before turning his attention towards Two, "We've been sent to a realm where fictional characters in our world are real."

"Wait, so you guys are not from here?" I asked.

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain…" Krishna said sheepishly.

"…but we're not exactly from this world," Two continued, "From where we come from, you and the Kamen Riders are just products of fiction that people usually see on TV."

"No way…" I gasped.

"Believe me, this freaks us out as much as we freaked you out, so we're in the same page here," Krishna said reassuringly.

Hearing what Krishna and Two has said made me think. The concept of multiverse is a very complex topic indeed and as a high school student, I have zero grasp on that concept whatsoever. But with Krishna and Two's appearance in my universe and my existence as a fictional character in their universe…could the monsters and Kamen Riders that has appeared in Tokusat City came from the same universe as Krishna and Two's?

"Alright then," I sighed, unwilling to hear any more mind-blowing explanations from either Krishna or Two, "I believe you guys. But, if my namesake in your universe is indeed the same as me, you've got one detail wrong. We're not school idols here. Honoka and the others, along with me, are members of a club researching about the masked heroes of Tokusat City, the Kamen Riders. We frequently meet after school to discuss about their heroic deeds for the city as well as to find out where they came from."

"Oh really?" Krishna lifted his eyebrows in interest, "Your turn to explain then. How much do you know about the Kamen Riders?"

"Well, it started around three years ago," I replied, "Strange monsters began to show up all over Tokusat City, attacking people at random as well as causing a significant amount of destruction in our beloved city. These monsters are a varied bunch. Some perform ritualistic murder, as if trying to fill a demented quota of some sorts. Some approached people with dark hearts and manipulated them to form contracts with those monsters in order for their deepest desires to be granted. Some come in the form of strange-looking USB sticks or switches, which grants their user monstrous powers. Others have the capability to stop one's perception of time, effectively prisoning their victims in their own bodies. These monsters have been plaguing our city for a while. And then…they showed up."

"The Kamen Riders?" Krishna asked.

I nodded, "Yes. Mysterious masked heroes who fought these monsters for the sake of the people. The students of Otonokizaka started to become interested in these heroes after their school was repeatedly saved by the 'Hero of Otonokizaka,' a mysterious white Kamen Rider who dedicates his life in protecting everyone at Otonokizaka High and the surrounding Otonokizaka District. Inspired by his selfless heroism, we started a Kamen Rider Club to do our research on the Kamen Riders, hoping that one day…we could become heroes like them. I have to admit…that purple Kamen Rider made me doubt whether the Riders are really sincere in helping the people or not. But thanks to you guys, I realize that even if evil Kamen Riders existed, there will always be the heroic Kamen Riders who are ready to stop them before they could enact their evil deeds. Thank you, thank you so much for making me even more inspired in believing in the Kamen Riders."

"Don't mention it," Two smiled.

"By the way, can I borrow your Y-Gear for a sec?" Krishna asked.

"Sure," I said, taking out my Y-Gear from my blazer pocket and handing it over to Krishna, "What for?"

"A surprise," Krishna giggled as he accessed my Y-Gear's application store, searching for an app there before downloading it into my phone. After it has finished downloading, he immediately returned the Y-Gear to me, "Here you go."

I retrieved the Y-Gear from Krishna and immediately I checked out the app that he has downloaded for me. Much to my surprise, it was a complete database of the Kamen Riders from Krishna and Two's universe! Even though there were a few Kamen Riders that I didn't recognize, most of the Riders in the app are in fact the same Riders that I saw from the news on TV, amateur video footage during our club meetings, as well as photographs from newspapers. Heck, the app even has Kamen Rider Baron, Krishna's banana-themed Rider form, as a featured article!

"I hope that app would help you and your friends with your research," Krishna smiled, "Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you so much," I said, my face beaming with happiness, "You have no idea how helpful this app will be."

"You're welcome." Krishna replied, before he took a brief glimpse at his own Y-Gear, noticing the time there, "It's already evening. Your parents must be worried sick."

"Oh, I live alone," I said, "My parents are going on an extended business trip overseas. They did that a lot, so I'm used to living in my apartment by myself."

"I see," Krishna nodded, before he stood up from his seat, his right hand grabbing something from his jeans pocket. He then made his way towards me and handed me the item that he took out from his pocket.

It was a strange looking lock, themed after a banana; the black letters that made up the code **L.S-08** are emblazoned on the lock's yellow banana-themed front side.

"Wait…isn't this the very same lock that you used to transform?" I asked as I accepted the item.

"I have two of those, so don't worry, I still can transform," Krishna replied with a smile, "That thing's called a Lockseed. While a Kamen Rider with proper equipment can use it to transform, civilians can use them to summon creatures called Inves. This Lockseed is an A-Class Locseed, meaning that the Inves that it can summon is a really powerful Inves. I want you to use this to protect yourself. With monsters and evil Kamen Riders running around, your Inves can at least hold them at bay before we or any other Kamen Riders would intervene. Try opening that Lockseed."

I obeyed and pressed a switch on my newly acquired Banana Lockseed, opening the lock-shaped device. Suddenly a metallic zipper appeared next to me, startling me as it opened an elliptical tear on the space next to me. A dragon humanoid jumped out from that tear, roaring aloud as it made itself known to us. The dragon was covered in hard azure colored armor from head to toe with a pair of piercing red eyes, and it looked like a living, human-sized dragon statue from the shrine near my school.

"The Seiryu Inves. Quite a powerful one indeed," Krishna said, "That's your Inves, when you want to summon it, just open up your Lockseed. But remember – don't drop your Lockseed when your Inves is out, otherwise it'll go berserk and you need us to put it down."

"Gotcha," I nodded, closing my Banana Lockseed once again, causing the newly summoned Seiryu Inves to jump back into the tear, said tear closing up like a zipper before the metallic zipper disappeared into thin air.

"So how are you going back home?" Two asked.

"Well my apartment's downtown and I usually took the bus everywhere," I replied, "Side 6's near downtown if I can recall, a 15 minute bus ride from my place. I'll be alright."

"You sure?" Krishna raised his eyebrows, "You don't want me to take you home?"

This earned Krishna an elbow jab on the arm by Two, which coincidentally hits his injured arm, causing him to wince in pain.

" _Baka_ , you're still injured," Two said rather sternly, "Plus you already gave her your Lockseed. She should be safe."

"Fine," Krishna sighed, "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will," I replied, winking at Krishna as I smiled, "By the way, before I go.."

I quickly took out my Y-Gear, accessed my contacts, and sent Krishna my number.

"That's my number," I said as Krishna saved the new contact in his own Y-Gear, "I'll contact you if any monsters or evil Riders decided to show up."

"Thanks," Krishna said as he pocketed his Y-Gear again, "Your help is truly appreciated by us."

"You're welcome," I replied as I slowly walked towards the warehouse's exit, "I'm going home now. It's been a real pleasure meeting you guys. See you later!"

"See ya!" both Krishna and Two waved their goodbyes at me.

Smiling at my new friends, I waved goodbye at them as well as I stepped out of the warehouse. It has been a hectic, freaky day today, and what I need now is a nice long bath at home before taking a rest for the night. Luckily none of my teachers gave my class homework today, so I could sleep in peace tonight.

 **xxx**

 **(3** **rd** **person POV)**

A bruised and battered Nick limped his way through Tokusat City's Crackton District, essentially the city's slum zone. With run-down and rusted buildings in the surroundings, the continuous echo of police sirens from a distance, and a number of shady characters hanging out at the district's sidewalks, one does not simply walk through Crackton without getting that fearful feeling that at any moment, one could fall victim to Crackton's horrifically high crime rate, the highest in Tokusat City.

Yet being a man who's constantly on the run from the authorities back home in Melbourne, Australia, Crackton feels like a home away from home for Nick. The criminals residing in Crackton has nothing against the tall list of crimes that Nick has commit before coming to Tokusat City. He did strangle and decapitate 12 young women across Melbourne before his capture. And the offer that this Ryuga guy gave to him is a one way ticket out of prison and back into freedom, with the Ouja armor being one of the perks that he got.

But that defeat from fighting Baron and Idunn…it felt like a remarkably painful wasp sting on his pride.

'I had the advantage before that apple bitch showed up,' Nick cursed in his thoughts as he limped, 'I almost had my first kill in this war! But that stupid bitch denied me that chance.'

As his thoughts continues to curse both Baron and Idunn, Nick slowly made his way towards a steampunk-looking building located in the heart of Crackton, the words "SALTY SPITOON" in neon red being displayed at the building's entrance. As Nick made his way towards the entrance, he saw a muscular dark-skinned man wearing a black T-shirt standing in front of the entrance.

'Must be the new bouncer of this place,' Nick thought.

"Welcome to the Salty Spitoon," the man greeted Nick once the latter has reached the entrance, "How tough are ya?"

"Fuck off, Reg," Nick muttered as he tries to enter the building, only for the bouncer to bar his path.

"I said, how tough are ya?" Reg the bouncer asked again.

"Go fuck yourself," was the reply from Nick, and he tried to push his way into the building only for Reg's muscular frame to stood in his way, "Seriously, asshole?!"

"This bar's only for tough men only, you jackass," Reg said, "Or should I say…wussy?"

Nick sighed, taking out his Ouja Advent Deck from his jacket pocket. The sight of the Advent Deck shocked Reg so much; he started to tremble in fear before falling down on his knees.

"Ouja?! The Notorious Venomous Fighter?!" Reg gasped, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Of course you can go in."

"Thank you," Nick smiled sarcastically, "Next time don't stand my way between me and my gin," Nick then slowly places his right index finger on his neck before making a slitting motion with it, "Or it's off with your head!"

Reg nodded as Nick entered the building, whimpering immediately once the Australian had left.

Inside the building, rowdy music greeted Nick's ear immediately as he made his way towards the counter. It was quite a crowded evening today, with a variety of people dancing to the rowdy music being played by the DJ, and a few people had taken their place at the counter.

"Evening, sweetcakes," Nick greeted the bartender once he got into the counter, taking a seat there, "Gin and tonic, the usual."

"Coming right up," the bartender winked as she quickly prepared Nick's order.

As the bartender prepared Nick's gin and tonic, the young man slowly closes his eyes, enjoying the music that made him forgot about that humiliating defeat that he had received earlier. That is, until he is tapped on the shoulder by someone.

"Getting the crap beaten out of you, eh?"

Nick slowly opened his eyes to see two people standing next to him. One is a 17-year old young man, with a tall and athletic build, brown skin, black eyes, curly and messy black hair with slight hints of a goatee. The man wears a blue polo shirt, torn up navy blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers.

This man is Raksa Jufriyanto Ikhsan, the proprietor of the Salty Spitoon. Despite his young age, he has a number of connections in the Tokusat City underworld.

The other person is a 16-year old young woman, with a tall, slightly muscular, and athletic build, light brown skin, chin-length black hair styled in a bob cut, and amber eyes. She is now wearing a white Tottenham Hotspur T-shirt, brown cargo pants, and black sneakers.

This is Eki Novianda, Raksa's girlfriend/bodyguard and an overall silent person.

"Raksa," Nick said as he received his gin and tonic from the bartender, taking a sip before turning his attention towards the two, "You're here to mock me?"

"Of course he's here to mock you, you pathetic trash," a male voice spoke out from behind Nick.

Nick turned around to see a 17-year old young man smiling mockingly at him. He has golden blonde hair tied into a low ponytail and golden eyes, and he is now wearing a Japanese school uniform with golden blazer and pants.

"Yugane Masayuki," Nick hissed, "The rich bastard who thinks that he can buy everyone here."

"Of course I can, Nick Killian," Yugane smirked mockingly, "After all, money keeps the world goes round, right? You in the other hand just got your ass handed to you. Those bruises don't suit the serial killer Nick Killian. Those bruises suit the useless trash Nick Killian."

Immediately Nick shot up from his seat and grabbed Yugane by his collar, rage billowing out from the Australian's eyes.

"You call me trash one more time, golden boy," Nick gritted his teeth in anger, "And I'll make sure that your golden blazer will be stained by your cold, dark, blood."

"Make me," Yugane taunted calmly, despite Nick grabbing his collar tightly, "And when you do, I'll show the world what a pathetic piece of shit you are."

"Hey, hey, hey, chill the fuck down ese."

A 19-year old young man with an average yet slightly muscular build with dark brown skin, slick black hair, and green eyes, as well as a face that indicates Latino heritage slams his tequila on the counter, attracting the attention of both Nick and Yugane. David Hernandez glared at the two men in front of him, the lightning-shaped scar on his left eye with the addition of his clothing and accessory - a black and bronze leather jacket and torn up black denim jeans, with a pair of black military boots and a silver brass knuckle on the counter – adds an intimidating air to the Mexican American man.

"If you two wanted to fight, please take it outside," David said sternly, "Some people are trying to enjoy themselves here. Raksa, you're the owner of this place, do something."

"Fine," Raksa sighed, "Yugane, go get yourself some strippers. Enjoy yourself. I'd rather have you do that than pick a fight at my place."

Yugane grumbled as Nick released his grip on him, he clearly looks pissed off as he disappeared into the crowd.

"Worthless garbage," Yugane muttered as he left.

Nick took a sip of his gin once again as he sat down, this time Raksa and Eki decided to sit next to him.

"Time for a serious discussion here," Raksa said, "Who beat you? Are they Riders as well?"

Nick sighed. Its times like this that he must forget about his pride of being a deadly fighter, "Yeah. Which makes it more humiliating for me, they're new Riders, just got introduced into the game. I've been beating Riders left and right easily lately, but against those two? I had the advantage at first, but his friend just had to come and ruin everything for me."

"Interesting," David nodded, apparently he has joined into the conversation as well, "These two sound like that they're powerful fighters. Perfect candidates for my next game."

"Indeed they are," Nick said, drinking his gin once again, "You've been complaining that your opponents here are weak, right? Time to test yourself against these two to see how they'll suit this little game of yours."

"Hold your horses there, ese," David laughed, sipping his tequila, "I don't just jump into fights like you do. I need to do some observation first. That way I can gauge their strengths and weaknesses so that I can edge them during the real fight. I say, how about we watch these two Riders fighting sometime later? I bet we can learn a thing or two there. Am I right, Ethan?"

Ethan Roanoke, the 22-year old muscular African American with dark brown eyes and a bald head complete with a rough mustache and stubble on his chin wearing a burgundy T-shirt with black cargo pants, black suspenders, and black running shoes, nodded in agreement to the man sitting next to him.

"You're right, nigga," Ethan said, "We need to keep an eye on the Riders that beat you. What are their names?"

"Let's see," Nick said, taking out his Y-Gear and opening the Rider War Network app, only to sigh in dismay upon seeing his defeat already making headlines there, "God damn it! I'm a humiliated man now!"

"Let me see," Raksa said, taking Nick's Y-Gear and giving it a good look, "Kamen Riders Baron and Idunn. Lockseed using Riders, eh? Just like Yugane and Ethan."

"Hell, my Dragon Energy Arms is much more powerful than those two fuckers," Ethan scoffed, munching on his chili fries, "David, you have your Clock Up system, right? I bet you can shred them to pieces with that."

"That's true," David nodded, "But I prefer tendering them up first with my fighting skills. Using Clock Up is like you shoot someone in the head with a shotgun from point blank range, there's no fun in that. I'll do that once I finished chewing them up."

"And I believe Eki here could do some massive damage to them. Am I right?" Raksa winked at his girlfriend.

"Indeed," Eki replied with a cold, monotonous voice.

"It's settled then," David smirked, "We're going to watch this Baron and Idunn first, and then we'll cook up a plan to fight them. Once they're down, your humiliation will be over, Nick."

"Oh yes," Nick gave out an evil smirk.

 **xxx**

Back at the warehouse, Krishna and Two had finished unpacking their stuff, having decided to use the warehouse as their place to stay in Tokusat City. The two had set up a makeshift desk using the materials that Krishna and Two had found around the warehouse, where they put their laptops and Y-Gears. The two had also built a pair of hammocks to rest on, with the hammocks facing each other right in the middle of the warehouse. Fortunately the warehouse also has some power outlets, so charging their laptops, Y-Gears, and any other electrical gadgets will not be a hassle.

Right now the two are resting on their hammocks, ready to sleep their first night in Tokusat City. Krishna, however, has something bothering his mind.

"Hey, Two," Krishna called.

"What is it?" came the reply from Two.

"Why did you stop me from killing that man?" Krishna asked.

"Well…" Two thought for a moment, her eyes looking at the ceiling above her as she remembers her old fencing training days back in Vietnam, "My teacher has this philosophy of honor, that we should know our limits during fights. He taught us that honor is above everything, that we should dedicate ourselves in becoming strong for the sake of the weak. You can't strike down a weakened or injured opponent. It'll prove that despite your skills in fighting, you're still weak inside and you don't deserve any respect from your peers. The thing is, Krishna, fighting is all about becoming strong and respected. You became strong as you hone your skills, but true strength lies in acknowledging the weak. It is the strong ones' duty to protect the weak ones, therefore fighting the weak wouldn't make you a strong person…you're strong by skill, but inside, you're just a dirty coward who deserves no respect. This is a dog eat dog world, Krishna. And we will not survive it unless we have gathered respect from the people that we fight and protect. Because with respect, who knows? Maybe the people who we defeated will turn out to become valuable allies when we need them."

"I see," Krishna nodded, "Your teacher has such a beautiful philosophy, and it's so inspiring."

"Ah, it's nothing," Two smiled.

"By the way, should we tell Nozomi about it? I mean…the war?" Krishna asked again.

"As much as I wanted to Krishna, but I'm afraid we should not tell her," Two replied, "Nozomi and her friends…they deserved to know what is happening around them, but they'll lose their admiration for the heroes that they've loved so much. When I looked at Nozomi's eyes when we first met her…there was a sheer trauma behind those turquoise eyes of her, because her view on the heroic Kamen Riders has been shattered after that purple Kamen Rider tried to rape her. And we've just restored her faith on them. I…I'm afraid that they need to find out about this war by themselves, Krishna. If we tell them…it'll be too devastating for their poor hearts."

"Ah," Krishna sighed, "You got a point there."

"Now go to sleep and get some rest," Two said, pulling the covers on her body, "We need to train early in the morning tomorrow."

"Sure thing," Krishna replied, pulling his own covers, "Good night, Two."

"Night, Krishna."

And both Krishna and Two closed their eyes as they drifted to sleep. It's only the beginning of the war for them, but something in their mind tells them that this is going to be one hell of a ride for them.

 **xxx**

 **(Nozomi's POV)**

I sat down at the school's student council office that morning, the Banana Lockseed that Krishna gave to me still in my hands, while a cup of hot chocolate is waiting for me on the desk in front of me. My mind is still trying to digest what has happened yesterday. From my near-rape experience, to being saved by Krishna and Two, to the revelation that they came from another universe where me and my friends are mere fictional characters. All of them are too much for a mere high school student like me. I couldn't get any good sleep last night because of that…and also I was up all night studying the Rider app that Krishna has downloaded from me. It has a lot of information that me and my friends need to know!

I slowly sipped on my hot chocolate when a young woman, also aged 17 like me, walked into the student council office. Wearing the same uniform as I do, she has a medium build with white skin, long blonde hair that is tied up into a ponytail and blue eyes. This is Eli Ayase, or as I affectionately called her, Elicchi. She's the student council president of Otonokizaka High and also part of my little Kamen Rider club.

"Nozomi, what's wrong?" Elicchi asked, noticing the rather glum look that I put up, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "It's just…I've been thinking a lot recently."

"Really?" asked a surprised Elicchi, who decided to sit down next to me, "Please tell me. I'm your best friend after all."

I sighed, before beginning my explanation, which I doubt Elicchi would believe, "Alright then. Elicchi, do you ever wonder…that we're not alone in this universe?"

Elicchi lifted her eyebrows, "Really? Like aliens?"

"Not exactly," I shook my head, "I mean, I'm talking about a universe that is parallel to ours. A different interpretation of our very own universe where we're only products of someone's imagination. Do you ever wonder about that?"

Elicchi gave me a rather surprised look, before giving me a soft pat to the shoulder, "Don't burden yourself with such thoughts, Nozomi. You won't be able to do things properly if you're too fixated on such matters. Remember, you gotta keep your spiritual power focused, ne?"

"That's right," I laughed. I always have been known as the more spiritualistic member of our little group who always come up with ways to motivate everyone. So for me to appear down like I had this morning must be quite shocking for Elicchi.

"By the way, what's that?" Elicchi asked, noticing the Banana Lockseed in my hands.

"A memento," I replied, "You've seen the news, right? About yesterday's fight between three Kamen Riders at the CSC?"

"Yeah, I saw that this morning," Elicchi said, "What's wrong?"

"Well, you won't believe it if I tell you," I said, "But I met one of the Riders there and he gave me this as a lucky charm."

"Whoa!" Elicchi lets out a surprised gasp, "That's so unbelievably cool! We should tell the others about this! I mean, it's not like every day you can get a memorabilia from a Kamen Rider! Heck, not even our Hero of Otonokizaka gave away his stuff for free to us!"

"Yeah, we should," I smiled, "After school we have our usual meeting right?"

"That's right," Elicchi gave me a thumbs up and a wink as a reply, "Maki's going to be late though, she's having lunch with a friend of hers…what's his name again? Adam?"

Suddenly the door to the student council office was pushed open and the 16-year old young woman opening the door immediately fell to her knees, sweat drenching her entire body as she tries to control her breathing in exhaustion. Immediately Elicchi and I went towards the young woman and helped her back to her feet, before giving her a chair to sit on.

The young woman wears the same uniform as us, only with a red and blue striped bowtie that indicates that she's a second year student. She has blue eyes and ginger hair tied in a side ponytail by a pink bow. This is Honoka Kousaka, the president of our little Kamen Rider club and the one who came up with the idea to form the club in the first place.

"God damn," Honoka muttered once she got her breathing under control, sipping a cold glass of water from Elicchi, "Why does your office has to be so far from the track field?"

"What's wrong, Honoka?" Elicchi asked, "Why did you have to run all the way here from the track field?"

"The Hero of Otonokizaka," Honoka replied, still panting from all of that running, "He's here! He's fighting a monster right here in our school!"

"WHAT?!" my eyes and Elicchi's went wide upon hearing that.

 **xxx**

"Class 2-E are having their gym class right now when suddenly this feline monster appeared out of nowhere and attacked the students," Honoka explained as she took me and Elicchi to the track field, "Thankfully no one got hurt, but one of the students got cornered by the monster. And that's when he showed up."

When we arrived at the track field, a huge audience consisting of the entire student body, teachers, and staff members is watching an exciting battle unfolding in front of them. The monster involved in the battle was based on a leopard, with tattered white fabric wrapping its wrists, ankles, and groin, bronze bracelets and anklets, as well as a pair of bronze brassieres that covered its breasts, indicating that it was a female. Her skin color is pitch black, while her dreadlocked hair are colored in the same color, with a pair of dark green eyes on her face, and a strange-looking bronze belt buckle that resembled a demonic head of some sorts. She also has a tiara-shaped ornament on her head, colored bronze with an emerald jewel on the middle.

That belt buckle made me recognize what the monster is. Based from my research last night, the belt buckle was a common trait shared by the Grongi, the race of monsters from _Kamen Rider Kuuga_. And from her animal base, I could guess that this is Zu-Mebio-Da, the Leopard Grongi.

Fighting Zu-Mebio-Da is the Hero of Otonokizaka himself. Colored predominantly white with some orange, grey, and black markings on his body, his head was his most unique trait, as it literally resembled a rocket of some sorts, colored black on the face with a pair of round orange eyes. His gauntlets and shin-guards are quite unique as well, with a black square on the left gauntlet, an orange circle on the right gauntlet, a blue X on the right shin-guard, and a yellow triangle on the left shin-guard. On his waist was a strange dull grey belt buckle, which resembled a set of four switches with a small monitor on the middle and a lever on the right hand side of the buckle.

I immediately recognized the white warrior upon seeing him. For such a long time my friends and I had been inspired and fascinated by this mysterious warrior and it is not until last night that I discovered his actual name.

"Kamen Rider…" I muttered under my breath as I watched the fight, "…Fourze…"

 **(Cue BGM: Giant Step – Astronauts)**

Kamen Rider Fourze kicked Zu-Mebio-Da on the chest, before immediately grabbing the Grongi by the arms and performing a quick judo throw. The Grongi quickly stood up – as expected from a feline creature, she has great reflexes – and tried to claw onto Fourze's chest with those sharp bronze nails of hers, only for Fourze to react quicker by punching her twice on the chest, enabling him some breathing space as he took out a dark green and black switch-like device, the number **15** emblazoned in white on the device. Fourze then takes out another switch-like device from the farther left side of his buckle, before inserting the new switch into the empty slot, flicking it on in the process.

 **SPIKE ON**

A dark green leg brace armed with green spikes materializes on Fourze's left shin-guard, enabling the Rider to execute a series of devastating kicks onto Zu-Mebio-Da's body.

As Fourze is busy kicking away his opponent, Honoka took us to another one of our club members, who is captivated by the battle in front of her. Like Honoka she's also 16-years old, a second year student, with greyish brown hair styled in a way where part of her hair is styled in a small chignon bun and amber eyes. Unlike us, she's currently wearing a white and red T-shirt and red shorts, our school's gym uniform.

"Kotori-chan!" Honoka called the girl, Kotori Minami, "Is everyone in your class alright?"

"Honoka-chan!" Kotori greeted back, a relieved look in her face, "Everyone's okay, thanks to our hero, of course."

"That's a relief," Honoka breathed out a relieved sigh, "Glad everyone's alright."

"Everyone, look!" Elicchi called the two second year students, attracting their attentions, "The monster is running away!"

A clearly weary and injured Zu-Mebio-Da stumbled back, outmatched and outmuscled by her opponent. Unwilling to continue the battle at the risk of her life, the Grongi quickly leaped onto the roof of our school building, ready to make a run for it. But Fourze won't let his opponent get away that easily.

"Not on my watch!" Fourze yelled, taking out another switch, this time colored magenta and pink with the number **5** emblazoned in white on it. He took out a switch from the right hand side of his buckle monitor, before inserting the new switch into the slot, flipping it on to activate it.

 **MAGIC HAND ON**

A magenta colored manipulator arm with a silver pincher claw on the end materialized on Fourze's right gauntlet. The Rider immediately extends the manipulator arm, grabbing the fleeing Grongi with its pincher claw, before slamming Zu-Mebio-Da onto terra firma, effectively crippling the monster.

Deciding to finish the fight, Fourze took out two switches at once, one colored orange and black with the number **1** emblazoned in white on it, the other one colored yellow and black with the number **3** emblazoned in white on it. Fourze then used the first switch to replace the Magic Hand Switch, while the second one was inserted on the farther left side of his belt buckle. He then flipped the first switch, activating it.

 **ROCKET ON**

The magenta manipulator arm disappeared, being replaced with an orange rocket attachment on Fourze's right gauntlet. The Rider raised his right arm to the sky, allowing him to take off from the ground with the rocket attachment providing the boost. Once he had gained altitude, he flipped the second switch to activate it.

 **DRILL ON**

A yellow drill attachment materializes itself on Fourze's left shin guard, prompting the Rider to slam his buckle's lever quickly with his left hand.

 **LIMIT BREAK**

" **Rider Rocket Kick!** " Fourze yelled as he descended down from the sky, using his rocket attachment to accelerate his descent as he assumed a flying side kick pose, the drill-equipped leg coming first.

Zu-Mebio-Da didn't have enough time to react as the drill pierced through her chest, mortally wounding her in a shower of sparks, before Fourze pushed through the Grongi. The white Rider lands on his left foot first, spinning rapidly due to the drill's momentum before finally stopping, with Zu-Mebio-Da staggering behind him. A bright yellow crack appeared on where the drill had impacted her chest, before it slowly travelled down the Grongi's body towards her belt buckle. The crack then spreads out throughout the buckle as Zu-Mebio-Da collapsed to her knees, exploding afterwards to the cheer of everyone in Otonokizaka High.

 **(BGM ends)**

"He did it!" Kotori exclaimed, "He defeated that monster!"

"Another great job by the Hero of Otonokizaka," Elicchi smiled at the Rider's victory, "As expected from such a great warrior."

As my surroundings erupted into cheers and celebrations, with Fourze apparently enjoying the reception that he got from his victory, I stood at the track field side, awestruck by the Rider's awesome display. For two days in a row, I got to see plenty of Rider action and all of them blew me off my feet. All of this makes me even more determined to help my friends in their Kamen Rider club activity, as well as making me hope that someday, as the only member of our little club that has met and interacted in person with not just one but two Kamen Riders, I could bridge our club with the Kamen Riders fighting for the sake of the people of Tokusat City. And finally, and this is the most important part, it ignites my determination to help my Kamen Rider friends as much as I can.

Krishna, Two, don't worry. I will do my best to help you guys in your upcoming battles with my contributions!

 **xxx**

 **(3** **rd** **person POV)**

 **Two weeks later**

A group of green, pupa-like creatures swarmed around two mysterious figures, their features obscured by the creatures around them. A series of gurgles, grunts, and hisses were heard from the creatures, as if they're more than eager to tear the two figures that they've surrounded apart.

"Are you sure you wanted to do this?" asked the first figure, apparently a female judging from her voice.

"Yeah," replied the second one, also a female, albeit slightly more familiar to us than the first one, "Histoire said that this is a war. I guess the only way that we're going to survive it is to fight our way out of it."

The figures took out two crystal blue Lockseeds, the first figure holding the one with a pink peach engraved on the Lockseed's front side, the code **E.L.S-03** emblazoned in black on it, while the second figure holds the one with a yellow lemon engraved on the Lockseed's front side, the code **E.L.S-01** emblazoned in black on it. The two figures then pushed their respective Lockseeds' buttons, opening the devices.

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

 **LEMON ENERGY!**

 **xxx**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **xxx**

 **A/N: And that's it! The third chapter of the first arc of the Kamen Rider War Side Stories. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Our next chapter will have Minh and Wind taking center stage as the former tells her story of how she and her best friend got sent into this war. And also, a surprise appearance by a mysterious Kamen Rider in the next chapter! Let's just say, this Rider will help Minh and Wind in "opening their eyes" to the battles awaiting them. Don't forget to leave your reviews^^**

 **P.S. a huge shoutout for NecroGodYami for letting me use your OC Yugane Masayuki. Yes, Kamen Rider Mars will have an appearance in my side story, but how much he's playing a role in it will be a mystery. I don't want to spoil too much :p**

 **This is maxpower02 signing off!**


	4. Minh and Wind

**A/N: Hey, how's it goin' bros, my name is maxpower02 and I'm here to bring you chapter four of the Kamen Rider War Side Stories Arc 1: The Chaos Insurgency. But as usual, before I start, I'm gonna reply all of the reviews that chapter three got! A huge thank you from Gadget the Critic, NecroGodYami, A fearsome warrior and Kamen rider Lord for their positive reviews, but I'm afraid that I'm going to burst Gadget and Kamen rider Lord's bubbles here by saying that Kamen Rider Faiz is NOT the mystery Rider appearing in this chapter. Apparently "opening their eyes" does not lead to "open your eyes for the next Faiz." Sorry guys :p. And to A fearsome warrior, my Ultraman Tiga story has been scrapped since ages ago and I have no intention in making an Ultraman Dyna story since I'm focusing my thoughts in this story and helping Necro's. But a remake of my Ultraman Tiga Indonesian adaptation is in the cards here. And I got to upload chapter three sooner than I thought because I've already wrapped up my assignments for the days I'm doing chapter three and my ideas are on a roll during its creation :p. Finally to Kamen rider Lord, Kamen Rider Fourze is going to be one of the good guys here, but he won't show up again until the next few chapters :p**

 **Now, it's time for chapter four! It revolves around how Minh and Wind ended up in Tokusat City from the former's point of view and how they later on ended up in the care of our mysterious Rider in the story before they meet Krishna and the others later on.**

 **P.S. I strongly recommend you to read NecroGod's Kamen Rider War before you read this. Otherwise you wouldn't get the story :p**

 **Alright, without further ado, let's burn up your lives with chapter four!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any other series that I crossover.**

 **xxx**

A swarm of green, pupa-like creatures are marching in the masses towards a colonial styled-house located in Tokusat City's Wajima District, the city's potteries and antique goods district. The creatures' arms are asymmetrical, while their left arms seemed normal; their right arms had two elongated brown claws sticking out from their index and middle fingers. Their skull-like faces added more to these creatures' intimidating factor. Letting out loud grunts and gurgled noises, the creatures tried their best in breaking into the house from every possible entry point, clawing the doors and scratching the building's windows.

Standing on the rooftop of the house across the sieged building, a young woman watched on as more and more of the green creatures came marching from the streets and joining the already huge crowd surrounding the house in front of her. Aged around 17, the young woman has white skin, shoulder-length, straight black hair, black eyes, a pair of glasses on her face, and a medium figure. She is now wearing a black T-shirt, black denim jeans, and orange sneakers. Floating next to her is an orange, ghost-like figure with a white head; a huge eye with an orange iris is seen on its face, rimmed with an orange ring that has an orange wisp above the eye, a subtle grin is seen underneath the eye. A white cloak is seen on the figure's orange body, the figure wearing it like a cloak.

"Salis Worms, eh?" the young woman said as she looked at the creatures below her, "Isn't that a bit overkill to have that much Worms attacking just one house?"

"Histoire did say that there are two new Riders inside that house," the figure replied, its voice female, "Those bastards are probably after their heads."

"Hmph, that Game Master sure knows how to make things difficult for newbies, huh," the young woman shook her head in dismay, "Shall we go, Yurusen?"

"I'm still not sure about this, Steffi," replied the figure, Yurusen, "I mean their Rider designations are passed down from people who are morally questionable. What will happen if those two ended up being as messed up as the people who previously donned their armors?"

"Then we'll take them out of this war, it is as simple as that," said the young woman, Steffi, "But as long the horrors of war haven't tainted them, they're safe. Besides, they've got us to safeguard them from the Dark Riders before their friends retrieve them from us."

"I guess you're right," Yurusen relented, before she produces a black, eyeball-shaped object, "Here, it's all yours."

Steffi nodded, taking the eyeball from Yurusen with her left hand as she placed her right hand against her waist, causing an orange light to appear around it. The light then died out seconds later to reveal a belt with a large, eyeball-shaped buckle, colored milky white, orange straps, and a black lever on the right side of the buckle, a dash of orange on the lever handle. Steffi then pushed a button on the eyeball, causing the eyeball's iris and pupil to roll out of place, being replaced with a white letter **G**. She then opens up her belt buckle and inserts the eyeball there, before closing said buckle quickly.

 **EYE?**

Steffi quickly pulls her buckle lever up, causing the "eyelids" on the buckle to close up.

 **BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!**

As the belt buckle continues to chant, Steffi slowly crosses her arms in front of her, before placing her left arm over her chest and lifting up her right arm, her fingers relaxed as she slowly lowers down her right arm. A cloud of black smoke was ejected from her belt buckle, forming into a black floating hoodie with orange highlights; a pair of glowing orange eyes is seen on where the head is supposed to be on the hoodie while a pair of wiry black tendrils are seen on the arms of the hoodie. The hoodie quickly danced to the catchy tune that Steffi's belt buckle is continuously chanting, floating around Steffi as it does so.

" **Henshin!** " Steffi exclaimed as she placed her right hand in front of her face, before she quickly pushes down her buckle lever, causing the buckle's "eyelids" to open up, revealing an image of an orange, firefly themed mask with black eyes.

 **KAIGAN! ORE! LET'S GO! KAKUGO! GHO-GHO-GHO-GHOST! GO! GO! GO! GO!**

Steffi leaped off the rooftop as an orange light began to engulf her body with the hoodie following her suit, before the hoodie merges with Steffi's glowing body, completing the transformation as she lands.

 **xxx**

Meanwhile, inside the sieged house, two young women are huddling up to each other as the continuous banging, hissing, grunting, and gurgling noises echoed throughout the houses. The Worms are doing their best in trying to break into the house, and they're almost succeeding.

"What should we do?" asked one of the young woman, an 18-year old with an average build, light brown skin with some freckles on the cheeks, shoulder length black hair and black eyes. She is now wearing a green T-shirt with the word "SYMBIO" written on it and a grey jacket, along with blue trousers and white sneakers.

"That should be obvious," replied the second young woman, familiar to us all as Le Thao Minh thanks to her signature black and white striped shirt, "Let's try our new powers to get us out of here."

Minh immediately went towards a small cupboard near her, where two black briefcases are present on top of it. Inside each of the briefcases are two objects and while the first object is identical in both briefcases, the second one, despite their overwhelming similarity, are somewhat different. The first object are red in color, with a silver compressor-type lever on the right hand side of the objects, an octagonal indent on the center of the objects, and a transparent cup-like apparatus on the bottom of the objects, just below the indent. These are the Genesis Drivers, the second generation Lockseed utilizing belts created by _Kamen Rider Gaim_ 's Yggdrasill Corporation. The second object are crystal blue Lockseeds, with a yellow lemon and the code **E.L.S-01** emblazoned in black in the first briefcase and a pink peach and the code **E.L.S-03** emblazoned in black in the second briefcase. These are the Energy Lockseeds, powerful artificial Lockseeds developed by Yggdrasill Corporation, which are more powerful than normal Lockseeds.

Grabbing the contents of the briefcases, Minh places one of the Genesis Drivers around her waist, causing a silver strap to secure the Driver on her body, before placing the other Genesis Driver on her friend's waist, the same silver strap securing it in place as well. Minh then throws the Peach Energy Lockseed at her friend, which she catches immediately.

At the same time, suddenly the doors and the windows of the house gave in, and several Worms began to converge upon the two women. The vile creatures surrounded Minh and her friend, their drooling mouths a sign of their eagerness to devour them on the spot.

"Are you sure you wanted to do this?" Minh's friend asked.

"Yeah," replied Minh, "Histoire said that this is a war. I guess the only way that we're going to survive it is to fight our way out of it."

Immediately Minh pressed a button on her Lockseed, with her friend doing the same thing as well.

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

 **LEMON ENERGY!**

"Follow my lead, Wind!" Minh told her friend, crossing her arms in front of her with her Lemon Energy Lockseed on her right hand.

Wind immediately thrusts her right hand forward, her Peach Energy Lockseed in it, before placing her right hand near her right hip as her left arm was placed vertically in front of her face, her left fist clenched.

" **Henshin!** " both Minh and Wind exclaimed, before placing their respective Lockseeds on their Genesis Drivers and locking them securely.

 **LOCK ON!**

 **LOCK ON!**

A large Crack opened above Minh and Wind, with a yellow metallic lemon with a few black flame-like patterns on its surface hovering above Minh, and a pink metallic peach in different shades hovering above Wind. Both women immediately pressed on their Seaboll Compressors (the name of the compressor lever), opening up their Lockseeds as colored energy began to pour out from the Lockseed and filling up the Concentrate Pod (the name of the cup-like apparatus), with yellow for Minh and pink for Wind, prompting the hovering Armor Parts to fall on their shoulders.

 **SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FI-FI-FI-FI-FIGHT!**

Yellow energy surged from the Lemon Energy Armor Part and into Minh's body, creating the blue, black, and silver Ride Wear as the Armor Part unfolds itself, creating the chest, right shoulder, and back armors, with the blue European knight themed helmet already created inside the Armor Part during the Ride Wear creation. A splash of yellow energy was released from the newly unfolded Armor Part as the transformation completes, revealing Minh's regal-looking transformed form, her bright yellow visor glowing from underneath the helmet's grill-like covering, the red gem on her forehead glowing as well to signal the transformation's completion. The white cape on the back emblazoned with black, flame-shaped markings adds a more royal yet formidable look to Minh's armor.

With the proud European knight helmet symbol emblazoned in black in her left chest armor, Le Thao Minh has transformed into Kamen Rider Duke!

 **SODA! PEACH ENERGY ARMS!**

Arabian techno music blared loudly from Wind's Genesis Driver as her Armor Part dropped on her shoulder, a surge of pink energy forming her pink, black, and silver Ride Wear as the Armor Part unfolds itself, before letting out a splash of pink energy as the transformation completes. An Arabian sarong is present around her waist, with the appropriate Arabian themed markings on it, while her helmet is based on a peach, complete with a pair of white eyes shaped like peach slices, glowing along with the yellow forehead gem to signal the transformation's completion. Her right shoulder armor is not as prominent as Duke's, but her chest armor clearly shows her moderate bust, the symbol of an Arabian soldier's helmet emblazoned in white is present just above the left chest armor.

Tran Bao "Wind" Quyen has transformed into Kamen Rider Marika!

With red, bow-like weapons called the Sonic Arrows in their hands, both Kamen Riders Duke and Marika charged into battle, ready to take on the huge swarm of Worms around them…

 _ **My name is Le Thao Minh, 18 years old. And this is my best friend, Tran Bao Quyen, also 18 years old, but people call her Wind. We both came from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and we have been together since junior high. We went to junior high together, we went to high school together, we went to university together, and now, starting from today, we're fighting together in this war between Kamen Riders. How did we get stuck in this mess? It all started on that fateful day…**_

 **xxx**

 _ **KAMEN RIDER WAR – THE SIDE STORIES**_

 **xxx**

 **(Cue Opening: Virtue and Vice – Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas)**

 **(Instrumentals)** _The screen opens to reveal a close-up of Kamen Rider Baron. As the guitar begins to riff, the screen alternates between shots of Baron's gauntlets, chest armor, shoulders, back, and Sengoku Driver, before the drum begins to play with the story title appearing in front of a silhouetted Baron, with silhouettes of Duke and Marika standing on Baron's right side, and silhouettes of Zangetsu and Sigurd standing on Baron's left side. A scream was heard as Baron's silhouette raises his Banaspear and slashes the title, rushing into battle with the other four Riders flanking him._

 **(Don't know what's being misunderstood, missiles flying children getting shot)** _Krishna kicked and punched several Elementary Inves at an empty stage, with white strobe lights flashing as he does so, before it ends with Krishna brandishing his Banana Lockseed at the screen._

 **(Swindles everywhere, people who should be the most loved ones, killing each other)** _Chan and Meika standing back to back with each other in front of an orange screen before they walked in opposite directions as a red line began to split the screen, focusing on the girls' stoic faces before focusing on the Melon Lockseed in Chan's hand and Cherry Energy Lockseed in Meika's, before the line slides itself in a diagonal position and splits the screen open to show Wind relaxing underneath a tree, playing the Peach Energy Lockseed in her hand._

 **(Once you keep an eye off, things get stolen)** _The scene shifts to Minh lying in a rather "suggestive" position in a pool of blood, the camera scrolling up from her legs towards her body before reaching her head, the scene then switches to a close-up of Minh's face, her expressionless eyes staring at the Lemon Energy Lockseed in her right hand, a few patches of blood tainting the object._

 **(The world is like this, the world that we don't know, the unknown world)** _The scene switches to an abandoned storage room, with an office table lying in the middle of the room. Two is seen tinkering with her laptop on the table, before she slowly looked up towards the camera, before the scene fades to Kamen Rider Idunn standing against a black background, with the camera filming Idunn's right side, before it switches towards Idunn's front side, with a shroud of grey covering her entire left side. The camera slowly zooms towards Idunn's head which was looking down, before she suddenly lifts up her head, her visor glowing._

 **(Out of our hands, it doesn't matter, covering up, acting like you don't see a thing)** _The scene then changes to Nozomi walking down an alleyway alone on the way to school, before it switches to Nozomi sitting idly as her friends chatted around her, looking out the window as she stared at the clear blue sky outside._

 **(If you think it's a different thing, you won't notice that the world you live in is)** _The scene then switched to the Chaos Insurgency's hideout, where Krishna is staring the clear blue sky from the window of the hideout, while his teammates are busy playing darts on the background. Suddenly an alert message flashed onto Krishna's Y-Gear, prompting everyone to run out of the hideout._

 **(Instrumentals)** _Shots of the Chaos Insurgency members running are shown frame by frame, each lit by a different color (red for Krishna, blue for Minh, pink for Wind, white for Chan, green for Meika, and yellow for Two)._

 **(Look at it, oh yeah!** ) _The scene switches to Kamen Rider Mars stepping out towards a large plaza, several Dark Riders are seen behind him._

 **(The world is all linked together)** _Krishna and the other Chaos Insurgency members ran up towards the incoming Dark Riders, with their Lockseeds in their hands and their Drivers on their waists. Krishna exchanged looks with his teammates, before he unlocks his Banana Lockseed as the screen fades into yellow._

 **(Save our loved ones and the world (** _ **hey hey because breaking**_ **))** _Kamen Riders Sigurd and Gaoh clashed together as Kamen Rider Idunn takes on Kamen Rider Tyrant, both Riders using their Sonic Arrow and Sword Bringer respectively to counter their opponents' respective weapons._

 **((** _ **down the piled wood castle is easy)**_ **These peaceful days lasting is a wish)** _Kamen Rider Zangetsu defends herself with her Melon Defender from an incoming slash courtesy of Kamen Rider Yuuki, before slashing the skeleton Rider with her Musou Saber._

 **(** _ **hey hey these peaceful days, continuing is just like a wish**_ **)** _Kamen Rider Marika is engaged in a shootout with Kamen Rider Psyga, while Kamen Rider Duke takes on Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto in a melee brawl._

 **(Because I have no idea, how many tickets "to live today" are left)** _Kamen Riders Baron and Mars rushed towards each other, performing identical Rider Punches towards one another that sends them stumbling backwards._

 **(Even at the time when you were playing cards, somewhere in this world)** _As the Dark Riders falter back, the Chaos Insurgency Riders gather around, with the Genesis Riders huddling behind Baron, who uses his Banana Sparking to energize his Banaspear. He then stabs the Banaspear onto the ground, creating a series of energy bananas that skewers the Dark Riders as the screen fades into white._

 **(Somebody is crying)** _The scene flashes from white to show Kamen Rider Gaim Yami leading a group of Riders towards the Chaos Insurgency Riders. Baron slowly made his way towards Gaim Yami, the two Riders reaching their hands towards each other, before they finally touch as the scene fades into white and the song ends._

 **xxx**

 **Arc I: The Chaos Insurgency**

 **Chapter IV: Minh and Wind**

 **As told from Minh's point of view**

 **xxx**

 **One week ago**

It has been a week since our classmates Krishna Sadhana and Nguyen Phuoc "Two" Khanh Linh went missing.

One week ago, after we've finished our first Japanese class of the day, Krishna told me that he had a headache and wants to check it to the infirmary immediately when I invited her to have lunch with me and my friends. Sadly that was the last time I saw that man, because when our second Japanese class of the day starts, he was nowhere to be found. Coincidentally Two also went missing as well, the last time I saw her is when she went straight to the ladies restroom after our first class finished. Like Krishna, she never returned for our second Japanese class of the day.

At first we thought that the two of them had ditched class together. After all, I have to be honest with you – mandatory Japanese lessons aren't exactly one's cup of tea. But the next day, they didn't show up to class at all. The same thing happened the day after that. And the next day, and the next day, and the next day. Our _senseis_ realized something was wrong at the fourth day they were missing and immediately they conducted a campus-wide search for them, especially after news broke out that several other students of our university went missing as well, and even worse, some students has _**already**_ gone missing before Krishna and Two's disappearances. As the search went on fruitlessly, more and more students vanished without a trace and a list was displayed at the university's student office that displayed the names of the missing students. The police were called in and the search area was expanded. Our dorm rooms were searched one by one, but none of the missing students were found. Interestingly, the dorm rooms of the missing students have been cleared out perfectly, as if they have decided to move out of the dormitory all of a sudden. But other than that, the police and the university could not find any leads on the missing students.

Today I stood in front of the list in the student office, trying to recall the names of my friends that have vanished without a trace from our campus. Other than Krishna and Two, there's my _senpais_ Nguyen Le "June" Khanh Linh, Nguyen Thi "Nicole" My Duyen, and Tran Thi "Grape" Hoang Dung, my fellow Ho Chi Minh City friends Huynh Minh Ha Giang and Tran Phuong Trang, my dormitory floor-mate Dao "Helena" Nan, Thai students Audrey Chanunchida, Arthima Nan, and Ma Yeen Mintty, and Indonesian student Fabian Delano Kurnia, a close friend of Krishna's if I'm not mistaken. As I read the names on the list, I silently prayed to God so they could be found quickly, safe and sound. A slight ringing noise echoed in my ears as I prayed, but I shrugged it off. Probably just an insect flying next to my ears, no big deal.

"Minh!"

"There you are!"

I had just finished praying when I hear two female voices calling for my name. I instantly knew who called me – my best friends Tran Bao "Wind" Quyen and Thai Khuong Linh. Wind's been my friend since we're junior high, while I first met Linh during my first few days here in Japan. Having come from the same hometown and even the same neighborhood no less really made us connect with each other easily in no time.

"Hey girls," I smiled as they approached me, "Ready for our lunch together?"

"You bet we are," Wind said, a rather exasperated look on her face, "In fact, I've been looking you everywhere! Even Linh doesn't know where you are, and she's your classmate!"

"You should have told me that you're here at the student office," added Linh, a short build 18-year old with white skin, black eyes, and shoulder-length black hair styled in a bob, "That way we wouldn't go around campus looking for you."

"Hehehe, sorry girls," I giggled sheepishly, before taking a brief glance at the list next to me, "I just came here to pray so that everyone that went missing lately could be found safely."

"We're all praying for that," Wind said as she looked at the list in front of her, "I mean…having your friends disappearing from campus one by one…it's saddening, isn't it? Can't believe our university got hit by such a tragedy so early into the school year…"

The three of us went silent, our eyes glued to the missing students' list. Indeed, never before has our university been hit with a tragedy of this scale. With various students suddenly going missing without a trace all across campus, who knows who will fall victim to this mysterious occurrence next. Everyone's on their highest guard, with the university considering applying a strict curfew to monitor the students.

Without us realizing it, several droplets of tears had fallen from our eyes. The memories that we had with the missing students became too much for us. God, please protect our friends, we're missing them all. I hope they could return safely…

"Hey," I started to speak, breaking the somber silence that we had, "Shall we have lunch now?"

 **xxx**

We soon headed to the cafeteria and had our lunch there. Trying to forget the painful memories of the missing students list in the student office, we decided to talk about our lives recently over a delicious meal of pork ramen. We talked about my and Linh's Japanese class (we're in the same class together, you know) as well as Wind's own Japanese class, before proceeding to talk about…well girls stuff, from boys, fashion, to our upcoming shopping trip to Oita that we're going to do on the weekend.

It was quite an average lunch, until…

"Ah," Linh said, holding her right temple with her finger, we had just finished our meal when that happened, "I'm sorry guys, but I think I'm going to head straight back to my room."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's okay," Linh smiled, trying to shrug the matter off, "It's just my headaches again. Since a few days ago my head's been killing me."

"Maybe you're just too tired, that's all, Linh," Wind said, "After all, our Japanese classes are quite intense."

"True," Linh nodded, "I did woke up all night around two days ago doing my homework."

"Go to your room and get some rest, okay? And don't forget to take your aspirin," I advised, "Maybe those headaches will be gone tomorrow."

"Thanks, I will," Linh said as she packs her bags, before proceeding to leave us behind, "See you guys tomorrow."

"See you," both Wind and I waved our goodbyes at Linh.

As Linh left the cafeteria, I slowly sipped into my ramen, when suddenly a disturbing thought hit my mind.

Didn't Krishna complained about a headache before he disappeared?

'Nah,' my thoughts shrugged it off, 'It's just pure coincidence.'

 **xxx**

"Where am I?!"

Slowly opening my eyes, I find myself lying on an unknown place, all fogged up and drenched with rain. I slowly woke up, my eyes investigating my surroundings as I familiarize myself with them. Thankfully I'm not wearing my glasses right now; otherwise the humid air will make them really harder for me to see my surroundings.

After I had barely digested my surroundings, I slowly stood up before making a baby step forward. A small wisp of fog was blown away when I planted my foot on the ground, revealing that I was standing on a rather narrow wooden walkway, but unfortunately before I could see more details, the wisp of fog covered my ankles once again. All that I know, other than its narrowness, the walkway that I was on is rather slippery.

" _You…have been chosen…_ "

A male voice suddenly echoed eerily throughout my surroundings. I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, only to no avail.

" _You…have been chosen…_ "

A pair of red eyes suddenly appeared from the fog behind me, the sound of heavy breathing was heard from the eyes' direction. Immediately I turned around, my eyes making contact with the mysterious red eyes. A voice was heard from the eyes' direction.

" _Le Thao Minh…you…have been chosen…_ "

 **xxx**

My eyes immediately shot open as I woke up from that strange dream, my body drenched in cold sweat. To be honest, that was the most surreal dream that I ever had. But before my mind could register what had happened…

*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*

"Minh! Wake up!" Wind's muffled shouting can be heard from outside my room's door, "Wake up!"

Immediately I went towards the door and opened it, only to receive a fist to my forehead.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, sorry!" a shocked Wind immediately covered her mouth as she saw me clutching my forehead in pain.

"Damn it Wind, its 3am in the morning," I grumbled, still rubbing my forehead, "Why the heck did you have to wake me up like that?"

"I tried to call you but you didn't pick up," Wind said, desperation can be heard in her tone, "Check your phone."

I immediately went back inside my room and picked up my iPhone, before checking its screen.

66 missed calls. All of them from Wind. Gosh, what is it that made her so desperate; she tried to call me 66 times when I was sleeping before waking me up so early in the morning?

Pocketing my iPhone, I turned my attention back towards Wind, noticing her rather panicked expression, "Sorry, I was asleep. What's wrong, Wind?"

"Linh, its Linh!" Wind replied, her tone even more desperate than before.

"Linh? What's wrong with her?" I asked.

"She…she…" Wind tried to control herself, before suddenly she broke down into tears, "…she went missing…"

My heart immediately stopped after hearing that. I was left speechless, unable to comprehend what Wind had told me. Linh…our best friend…has gone missing?

"Are you serious?" I asked, trying to control my emotions as I do so.

Wind nodded tearfully, "I was sleeping over at her room to help her with her homework, when I suddenly overslept. When I went to sleep, she's still on her bed, but when I woke up…she's gone! I tried looking for her everywhere in our dorm, but she's not there! All of her items are gone as well!"

"Have you tried telling the security office about this?" I asked again.

"I did, and together we searched the entire dormitory," Wind replied, wiping away the tears in her eyes, "But we didn't find her. We also tried watching the dorm's CCTV footage just in case Linh suddenly decided to leave the dormitory by her own accord, but there's no sight of her whatsoever. It's like…she has vanished from the face of the Earth!"

As Wind sobbed sorrowfully, I slowly went towards her and embraced her in a hug, trying my best to comfort her even though the news devastates me as well. To think that the next student to disappear is a close friend of ours…

"There there," I said as Wind sobbed on my chest, "Later this morning, we'll search for her on campus. If we can't find her, we'll report to the police."

Wind continues to cry as she nodded, "I can't forget the last thing she said to me…"

 _ **Flashback starts**_

" _Ne, Wind, can I tell you something?" Linh asked as she had finished packing up her books for tomorrow._

" _What is it?" Wind asked back, plugging in her iPhone to charge it._

" _I had this strange dream lately," Linh replied as Wind sat next to her, "For the past few days, I dreamt of being in this huge concert hall, performing my violin recital, but nobody's there to watch me. Except for this black, dragon-armored man with red eyes that kept on saying that I was chosen. I wonder what it meant…"_

" _Dunno," Wind shook her head, "But it does sound quite strange for me, since you've dreamt of that several times for the past few days."_

" _It does," Linh said, "And it started right when I started to get these headaches. I mean, the only thing that I could recognize from that dream is that the concert hall that I was playing at is the Municipal House in Prague. You know I always dreamt of playing my violin there, right?"_

" _I know," Wind nodded, "But I wonder what does your dream means…"_

" _Probably I'm going to go to Prague soon," Linh laughed, "Well, its midnight already. Time to get some rest, Wind. We have class tomorrow."_

 _ **Flashback ends**_

"And that's the last thing she said to me," Wind continued to sob, "Which makes it more disturbing, I had the same weird dream as hers! Only this time that black dragon-armored man with red eyes approached me when I was doing my _Yoshakoi_ (a type of Japanese dance) routine with my friends. And he said the same thing to me as well! Please help me Minh! What if I'm the one who's going to disappear next?!"

As Wind kept on crying in front of me, that surreal dream that I had suddenly hit my memory. Even though I didn't see his entire features during my dream, but his red eyes and his words that I have been chosen…could it be…could it be that it's the same black dragon-armored man that approached Linh and Wind in their dreams?

No Minh, keep yourself together! Just stay calm and relax. Nothing's going to happen to you and Wind. Nothing's going to happen. Just hope that the authorities could find Linh and the others soon.

"Calm yourself, Wind," I said, wiping away my best friend's tears as I said so, "Just go back to your room and take some rest there. First thing that we're gonna do when we wake up is to sort out Linh's disappearance with the authorities. We'll skip class tomorrow so that we can focus our effort in finding Linh with both the university's security office and the police. Just pray that we'll find Linh as soon as possible, okay?"

"Amen," Wind nodded, a smile finally breaking out on her face, before she went back to her room.

I decided to return to my comfy bed as well. With classes waiting for me tomorrow, it's about time that I regain that rest that the news of Linh's disappearance had taken away from me. As I drift away to sleep, I prayed in my heart so that an answer to Linh's disappearance would be found soon.

 **xxx**

" _Le Thao Minh, you have been chosen…_ "

Once again I found myself standing in the same wooden walkway, but this time, the fog surrounding me is less dense than earlier.

Oh God, my mind immediately cursed. Not this dream again.

The same pair of red eyes that I saw from my previous dream suddenly appeared in front of me, with the owner of the eyes now visible for me to see. Fitting Linh and Wind's descriptions, the owner of the eyes is a humanoid clad in black, dragon-themed armor.

Holy shit. If this person is the last person that Linh saw before she disappeared…that means Wind…and me…would be…

Before my mind could settle down, the humanoid spoke first.

"You have been chosen."

Within seconds the humanoid lunged at me, grabbing my shoulders tightly with his hands.

 **xxx**

"Minh, wake up!"

"AAAAAHHH!"

For the second time in a row I woke up from that frighteningly surreal dream. Like before I was lying on my bed drenched in cold sweat thanks to that dream. But unlike last time, somebody had woken me up from my sleep and that somebody is looking at me with a rather teasing smile.

"Wind, what are you doing here?" I asked, my best friend's familiar face being the first thing that I saw after she woke me up from that weird dream. The last time I remembered, I sent Wind to her room and locked my room's door before I slept, so how the heck did she get into my room? "Go back to your room."

"Er Minh? This is _**our**_ room," Wind replied.

"Ey?" I blinked in confusion, "That's weird, last time I remembered your room is about three rooms away from mi…holy shit."

It hit me. It hit me really hard like a brick being thrown straight to my head. Behind Wind lies a second bed, identical to mine, with her personal belongings surrounding it. I then turned my attention to my own bed. Like Wind's, my belongings are being laid there just the way as I left them last night. In fact, the room where we at is an exact replica of our dorm rooms, as if someone had decided to fuse our rooms together.

As my mind is trying to get a grip on what is happening here, I reached for my pajama pocket, trying to take out my iPhone. But much to my surprise, instead of my iPhone, I took out a device that resembled a thinned out pane of metal from my pocket, which turned on by itself the moment I looked at it. Which surprises me even further; the device in my hand has exactly the same contents as my iPhone, with a few new apps that I'm not familiar with.

"Whoa," I gasped the moment my eyes made contact with the device's screen.

 **xxx**

Our classes usually start at 8.45am and it is now 9am. Ignoring the fact that we're 15 minutes late for class, after we changed our clothes we decided to leave our room, trying to make sense of what's going on.

And to our surprise, as we emerged from our room, the familiar sight of our dormitory corridor has been replaced with a corridor out of a colonial styled-house, complete with a number of vintage photographs on the walls.

Yeah, we're **definitely** not in our dormitory anymore.

"Wind, do you know where this is?" I asked as Wind and I navigated our way down the corridor.

"No idea," Wind shook her head, "But I remembered that my cousin in Den Haag used to live in a place like this."

"Are we in Den Haag right now?" I asked again, this time rather spontaneously. And to be frank I regret asking that because Wind slapped the back of my head afterwards.

"You idiot," Wind said, "There is no way on Earth that we slept in our dorm rooms and then wake up to find ourselves in Den Haag all of a sudden. There's something strange going on here and I know it."

The house where we're at is a two-story house, so there's a staircase at the end of the corridor that we're in. As classical music (Richard Wagner's The Valkyrie, to be exact) began to play softly in the background, we slowly descended down the stairs, hoping to find an answer to everything that has been going on here on the first floor.

And we did, seconds after we reached the first floor. Sipping a cup of tea on the house's dining room is a little girl with blonde hair and a purple dress, an open tome on her right and an old record player on her left, The Valkyrie playing on it. As soon as she saw us, she lets a warm, welcoming smile that instead of making us feeling welcomed, shocked the Hell out of us.

"Ah, good morning, girls," the little girl greeted.

Immediately both Wind and I fainted on the ground from the sheer shock that hit our minds like a wall being hit by a speeding truck. It's official; today's the weirdest day ever.

 **xxx**

The smell of herbal tea slowly wakes me up from my unconsciousness. As I open my eyes, I could felt that my head is spinning slightly on the inside, must be because of the impact that my head received when I fainted. Blinking my eyes as my vision went from fuzzy to clear again, I saw the little girl from before, now sitting on her open tome, trying to wake Wind up by using the vapor coming out from the former's cup of herbal tea. Within a few moments, my best friend began to come to…only to freak out once she saw the little girl floating on her open tome in front of her. Yes, I really mean it, that girl's literally floating on an open tome.

"Calm down," the girl said, trying to take control of the situation, "I won't harm you."

"KYAAAAAA!" Wind kept on freaking out, "What's going on in here?! Who are you?!"

"Please calm down, Tran Bao Quyen," the girl said again, "Or should I say, Wind?"

"How do you know my name?!" a still freaking out Wind asked.

"I know everything about you, Wind," the girl replied, still remaining calm despite having my best friend screaming hysterically in front of her, before the girl turned her attention towards me, who is still groggy after coming to a few moments ago, "And also you, Le Thao Minh."

"Eh?" I blinked immediately, "How…how do you know about us?"

The girl chuckled, "Pardon me for not introducing myself first, girls. My name is Histoire; I'm the Oracle of Planeptune. And as Oracle, I know almost everything."

"Okay, Histoire," I said, straightening up my sitting position (somehow we are seated on a vintage-looking velvet sofa on the house's living room when we came to), "Care to explain what's going on here?"

"In fact I will," Histoire replied with a smile, "You two have been sent here by the orders of the Game Master."

"Game Master?" Wind asked, "Who the heck is he?"

"Game Master is the name that the players called him, the man who planned everything here, the man who has picked each and every one of you to be his players," Histoire answered.

"Players? What are you talking about?" I asked.

Histoire's calm expression suddenly turned into a sad one, surprising both Wind and myself.

"What's the matter? Did I say something wrong? If so I'm sorry…" I hurriedly tried to apologize to Histoire, just in case my words hurt her by accident. But much to my surprise, Histoire shook her head, as if she's trying to shrug off whatever's bothering her like it was nothing.

"It's okay," Histoire said, "Even though it's hard, it's my duty to explain this to you. You see, the Game Master has been taking people from your world and made them fight in a war that he created. A war between Kamen Riders."

Kamen Riders? Isn't that the Japanese tokusatsu TV show that my younger brothers used to watch back in Vietnam? Before I came to Japan, I used to watch Kamen Rider shows with my brothers when I babysit them, starting from _Decade_ up until _Gaim_ , so yeah, I kinda know a thing or two about the Kamen Riders.

"Kamen Riders? What's that?" Wind asked.

"Essentially masked warriors, Wind," I answered before Histoire could have a chance to do so, "They protect the innocent from various evil and uphold the name of justice very dearly."

"Very good, Minh," Historie praised me with a thumbs up, "Looks like I saved my time from explaining that to you girls. Now, continuing on my explanation. You see, each player of this war will receive a transformation device from a Heisei or Neo-Heisei Kamen Rider, and then they will fight it out against their fellow players until the last one stands to take on the Game Master."

Wait, what?! Fight it out? As in…to the death?! What the absolute fuck?! Wind and I are just your average university students and we've been selected to participate in a battle that might cost us our lives?! Are you fucking kidding us?! Why, out of the seven billion people inhabiting Earth, the ones who got chosen for this battle royale to the death thing had to be us?!

Suddenly several gurgles and grunts were heard from outside the house. A worried look soon washed over Histoire's face, knowing that something bad is going to happen.

"Oh dear," Histoire gasped, "It looks we have company. I don't know what happened, but maybe the Game Master through one of his accomplices is sending some of his monsters here!"

"Monsters?!" both my eyes and Wind's went even wider after hearing that, "Are you serious?!"

"Unfortunately yes," Histoire replied sadly, "In order to make the war interesting and so that the Riders can stay in shape, he has introduced monsters from various _Kamen Rider_ series into this world."

Great. Just how sick in the head is this Game Master fellow?

The gurgles and grunts became more and more louder, as loud scratching and banging noises began to fill the room. A worried Histoire immediately went towards a nearby cupboard and took out two black briefcases from it, placing the objects on top of the cupboard. The Oracle then opened the briefcases, displaying its contents for us to see. For a person who has watched _Gaim_ a lot, the objects within the briefcases are all too familiar for me.

The briefcases contain two red objects each, with a silver compressor-type lever on the right hand side of the objects, an octagonal indent on the center of the objects, and a transparent cup-like apparatus on the bottom of the objects, just below the indent. Along with the red objects, in each briefcases are one, crystal blue lock-like devices, one with a yellow lemon and the code **E.L.S-01** on it, while the other has a pink peach and the code **E.L.S-03** on it.

'The Genesis Drivers and the Energy Lockseeds,' my mind instantly recognizes the two objects. From what I've watched from _Gaim_ , the Genesis Drivers and Energy Lockseeds are stronger than the previously developed Sengoku Drivers and natural Lockseeds, giving the Genesis Riders who used them an edge over the Armored Riders. The Lemon Energy Lockseed originally belongs to Ryoma Sengoku, the series' resident mad scientist, while the Peach Energy Lockseed is originally owned by Yoko Minato, Ryoma's (and later Kaito Kumon's) bodyguard.

"Minh, you'll be using the Lemon Energy Lockseed," Histoire said, showing me the first briefcase, before showing the other to Wind, "And for you, Wind, you'll be using the Peach Energy Lockseed. Now, use these powers to protect yourselves against these monsters and I wish you good luck for your upcoming battles. I've already sent someone to help you two to adjust to life here."

Realizing that Histoire is about to leave, I quickly called out for her, "Wait! I believe you haven't explained to us everything yet," I soon remembered that both Wind and I shared the same dream with Linh before she disappeared, so maybe perhaps Histoire knows a thing or two about the disappearing students, "Several of our friends from back home has disappeared without a trace and one of them told us that she had the same weird dream as we do before we wake up here. Do you know anything about that?"

Histoire only smiled after hearing my question, "You'll find that out soon enough, Le Thao Minh."

And after that, Histoire vanished into thin air, leaving all of our remaining questions unanswered. Where is this place exactly? What has happened to Linh and the others? And why did we got chosen for this Kamen Rider war? Seems like we need to find the answers for those questions by ourselves.

The gurgling, grunting, scratching and banging became more and more louder and from the windows we can see that a huge swarm of green, pupa-like creatures has already surrounded the house where we were at, ready to break into the house in any moment. I instantly recognized the creatures from the pictures that my brothers used to show me back in Vietnam. Called the Worms, these creatures are aliens capable of blending into human society by coping the appearance and memories of their victims. They're the opponents of the Riders from the _Kamen Rider Kabuto_ series and once they matured from their green, pupa-like Salis forms, they're capable of moving in blinding speeds thanks to their high metabolisms.

Wind immediately huddled closer to me, apparently frightened by the Worms' swarming outside the house and she became even worried once she saw the indecisive look on my face. Apparently she knew I was still pondering upon whether I should use the powers that we've just received or not.

"What should we do?" Wind asked me, her hands tugging onto my shirt tightly.

I immediately looked onto Wind's eyes, sensing the fear in my best friend. 'What are you doing, Minh?!' my mind immediately screamed inside my head as I looked at Wind's terrified face, 'She's your best friend! You're stuck in a world where the Kamen Riders are real and you're the only one in this room with basic knowledge on them! You should do something to protect Wind and yourself! Wind's your best friend, for God's sake!'

And at that moment, I know what I had to do.

"That should be obvious," I replied, releasing Wind's grip on me as I slowly headed towards the cupboard, "Let's try our new powers to get us out of here."

Grabbing the two Genesis Drivers and the Energy Lockseeds, I placed my own Genesis Driver on my waist before placing Wind's Driver on her waist, before throwing her the Peach Energy Lockseed.

'This is it,' I thought, 'Let's do this.'

 **xxx**

And that's how we got ourselves in this fight.

 **(Cue BGM: Raise your flag – MAN WITH A MISSION)**

A huge green explosion blew the house's door open as we leaped out of it, already clad in our armor with our bow weapons, the Sonic Arrow, in our right hands. The huge swarm of Worms awaiting us immediately charged forward, only to meet a swift end at the hands of our Sonic Arrows. The thing about these Salis Worms, despite their huge numbers, they're quite fragile, meaning that a couple slashes from our Sonic Arrows or a few arrow shots from them are enough to destroy these critters.

My Kamen Rider Duke armor has the hardest punches and kicks out of the Genesis Riders of _Gaim_ , and also thanks to the tweaking done by Ryoma Sengoku on his Genesis Driver, Duke practically outclasses his fellow Riders. And I'm glad to say, my Genesis Driver had received the same tweaking as well. The in-built scanner in my visor helped me in finding these Worms' weak spots, allowing me to strike precision blows with my fists onto them, weakening them instantly for my Sonic Arrow slashes to finish them off. I'm also grateful that I used to take wrestling classes during junior high as well as watching a lot of _WWE_ fights involving John Cena back home, because that combined with Duke's already overwhelming physical strength allows me to muscle my way through the Worm swarm, weakening several more of the creatures with my lifts, slams, and punches, before slashes from my Sonic Arrow destroys them in a series of green explosions.

Wind's Kamen Rider Marika armor has the weakest physical power out of the Genesis Riders, but she makes it up for her unbelievable speed. And it looks like my best friend is starting to get a hang of her new armor, as she easily dodges several swipes from the Worms surrounding her with her armor's agility. Her archery training during her school days also helped her as the Genesis Riders of _Gaim_ are practically archer-oriented Riders, and Wind's archery training over the years has perfected her aim as she easily took out the Worms surrounding her with a series of pink energy arrows shot from her Sonic Arrow, all of them striking her opponents in their vital areas, destroying the Worms surrounding Wind instantly.

Unfortunately for us, the swarm was so huge; the Worms that we destroyed were replaced quickly by several more of their brethren. Even though we had the upper-hand for the first few minutes of our battle, the Worm swarm has slowly regained their strength in their huge numbers and managed to corner us. We soon found ourselves standing in a middle of a huge swarm, standing with our backs against each other.

"Some fight that we had, huh?" Marika said, clearly fatigued from fighting the huge numbers of Worms around her but in the same time also excited, "I think I'm going to get used to this. But how are we going to fight our way out of this?"

"Easy," I said, smiling underneath my helmet, "We use our finishers. Just put your Lockseed on your Sonic Arrow, there should be a slot for it."

Marika nodded, taking out her Peach Energy Lockseed from her Genesis Driver and placing it on an indent located on her Sonic Arrow.

 **LOCK ON!**

I, on the other hand, reached for my Genesis Driver's compressor lever and pushed it twice.

 **SODA! LEMON ENERGY SPARKING!**

Yellow energy began to surge throughout my body as pink energy began to build up on Marika's Sonic Arrow, with the peach-themed Rider taking aim at the Worms in front of her, a huge red crosshair appearing on the swarm. I jumped up into the air, the energy accumulating in my body being channeled to my legs as I assumed a dropkick pose, several energy lemon slices appearing between my feet and the Worm swarm in front of me.

Letting out a loud yell, I immediately descended downwards, my feet kicking through the lemon slices, the slices swiftly energizing my kick. Seconds afterwards I had kicked through the last slice and my fully energized boots connected with the chest of the Worm unfortunate enough to be in the frontline of the swarm facing me. Yellow energy surged throughout the Worm's body as I landed on the ground on both feet, before the Worm proceeds to collapse and explode. The Worm's death apparently started a domino effect on its swarm, as the rest of the swarm exploded as well. As green fire rages on in front of me from the Worms' demise, I slowly stood up, breathing a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Marika had charged enough energy into her Sonic Arrow, letting out a yell as she fires her weapon. A pink energy arrow, larger than usual, was fired from the Sonic Arrow and hits the first Worm on the swarm in front of Marika right on its chest, enveloping it and the rest of the swarm in a dome of pink energy, shaped like a peach. With her Sonic Arrow still overflowing with energy, Marika took aim once again, this time at the sky, before firing her Sonic Arrow once again. Another pink energy arrow was released, which transformed itself into a smaller energy peach once it reached its desired altitude.

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

The energy peach exploded, releasing a hailstorm of pink energy arrows that penetrated the energy peach that encased the Worms, destroying them in a blink of an eye.

"That should take care of 'em," Marika said as she regrouped with me.

"Yeah," I nodded, "Our finishers should be more than enough to end their resistance."

 **(BGM ends)**

And boy, I wished I never opened my huge mouth.

By the time we regrouped, another swarm of Worms had assembled themselves in front of us, much to our dismay.

"Damn it!" I cursed, "How many of these things that we must fight to get out of here?!"

Suddenly a black sword with silver accents flew out of nowhere, slashing itself through several Worms on the swarm's frontline, destroying them instantly much to our surprise. The sword then flew back to its owner, who calmly made its way towards us.

The sword's owner is an armored warrior just like us, a Kamen Rider, its body predominantly black with a few orange streaks on the arms, legs, and torso, an eye-shaped insignia visible on the warrior's chest. The warrior is wearing a black and orange hoodie that exposes the front side of its torso, while its helmet has a firefly themed mask, colored orange with two, large black eyes, and a horn on the forehead. The warrior looked at the swarm in front of us and lets out a satisfied nod.

"I could have sworn the swarm is bigger when I first saw it," the warrior spoke, its voice female and somewhat familiar to us, "Thanks for whittling it down for me. But now, let me show you how an experienced fighter in this war handles things!"

The warrior takes out a red, eyeball-shaped object, before pressing a button on the object's side, causing the object's iris and pupil to roll out of place, being replaced with the code **01** written in red. Opening up her eye-themed belt buckle, the warrior takes out a black, eyeball-shaped object from it, causing her black and orange hoodie as well as her orange mask to disintegrate into nothingness. The warrior quickly inserts the red eyeball into the buckle, before she closes it.

 **EYE?**

The warrior quickly pulls up the lever on the right hand side of her buckle, causing it to chant as the "eyelids" on the buckle closes up.

 **BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!**

A red cloud of smoke was ejected from the buckle as the "eyelids" closes up, the smoke forming into a floating red Japanese-themed jacket, with swords for hands and a pair of red eyes on where the head should be. As the jacket floated around the warrior, she pushes down the lever on her belt, causing the "eyelids" to open up, revealing a pair of red katanas crossed at each other in an "X" formation.

 **KAIGAN! MUSASHI! KETTO! ZUBATTO! CHOKENGO!**

The red Japanese jacket immediately descended down onto the warrior's body, covering her exposed armored body as a black mask with two red katanas crossed at each other in an "X" formation etched on it was formed on the warrior's helmet.

"Let's do this!" the warrior exclaimed, splitting up her black sword into a pair of katanas.

The warrior immediately leapt into battle, slashing her katanas at the Worms in front of her, destroying them quickly. A Worm tried to foolishly attack the warrior by jumping at her, only to be impaled through the chest as a response, while another Worm was sliced vertically from head to groin. We could only watch in amazement as the warrior made short work of half of the swarm in front of her with her katanas.

"Amazing…" I whispered.

"Unbelievable…" Marika whispered too.

If all of the Riders that we're going to face in the war are as skillful as her, we're doomed. Heck, if she turns out to be our first Rider opponent, we're also doomed. Such deadly precision and skills in using her weapons…that warrior must have fought in the war for quite a while.

After wiping out half of the Worm swarm with her katanas, the warrior decided to switch tactics for the other half of the swarm, taking out a yellow eyeball and clicking its side button, the code **02** written in white replacing the iris and pupil of the eyeball. The warrior quickly took out her red eyeball from her belt buckle, causing her Japanese jacket to disintegrate away as she inserts the yellow eyeball into the buckle.

 **EYE?**

 **BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!**

A yellow cloud of smoke was ejected out from the buckle's "eyelid," forming into a silver and yellow raincoat with a pair of defibrillators for hands and a pair of glowing yellow eyes on where the head should be, a pair of silver antennas also growing out from the raincoat's hood as an added touch.

The warrior pushes down the lever on her buckle, causing the "eyelids" to open up, revealing a yellow light bulb.

 **KAIGAN! EDISON! EREKI! HIRAMEKI! HATSUMEI-O!**

The silver and yellow raincoat attaches itself on the warrior's body, a black mask with a yellow light bulb etched on it forming on the warrior's helmet, a pair of silver antennas growing out from the sides of the helmet. Fusing her katanas together as she configures her weapon into a gun, the warrior places the weapon's hilt against her belt buckle, an infrared line appearing from the eye insignia on the weapon's hilt that connected with the light bulb symbol on the belt buckle.

 **DAI KAIGAN!**

As electricity surges through her body, the warrior slowly aims her gun at the remaining Worms, electrical energy cackling through the gun barrel as a blue eye insignia was formed on the muzzle.

 **GAN GAN MINA! GAN GAN MINA! GAN GAN MINA!**

After she had taken aim at the Worms in front of her, the warrior calmly pulls on the trigger of her gun.

 **OMEGA SHOOT!**

A devastating beam of electricity was fired from the gun, annihilating the remaining Worms in a huge green explosion, the flames forming the same eye insignia on the warrior's chest and weapon hilt before fading away.

We were left awestruck by the warrior's sheer display of power. We had struggled against those Worms, yet she managed to take out a huge swarm of them within minutes! Let's hope this warrior isn't our first opponent…

"You're the two new Riders that Histoire told me about, right?" the warrior asked, shocking both me and Marika, "She said that you two could use a hand."

"Ye-yes…" I said, trying to be courageous but in the same time cautious, not wanting to fight this new warrior yet due to the sheer differences in our power, "That's right. Thanks for helping us. May I ask you? Who are you?"

"Gosh, you sound awfully familiar," the warrior laughed, which surprised us even further, "I can't believe you've forgotten about me already, Minh-chan."

Immediately our eyes went wide in shock underneath our helmets. How come this warrior knows about my name?!

As if knowing our confusion, the warrior chuckled again, "Let me reintroduce myself in case you two forget about me. My name is Kamen Rider Ghost…but my real name is Pham Vu To Quyen. Steffi if you want to make it simple."

That absolutely blew our minds. No wonder that warrior sounded familiar. No wonder we had slightly forgotten about her, since we haven't seen her since midway through our orientation period. No wonder I saw her name being on top of the chronologically ordered list of missing students. Turns out…she's fighting in this war as well?!

It's official. Today is definitely the weirdest day in our lives.

 **xxx**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **xxx**

 **A/N: And that's it! The fourth chapter of the first arc of the Kamen Rider War Side Stories. I hope you guys enjoyed it! And like before, I have a lot of ideas for this chapter, but because it's going to be really long if I write all of them here and for the sake of the readers' comfort, I'm splitting it up into two parts, again. Our next chapter, still focused on Minh and Wind, will have them train under Steffi as they seek out to take down one of the Game Master's accomplices. We're also going to have Two meeting Ryuga's human form, and a reunion of friends in battle. Don't forget to leave your reviews^^**

 **This is maxpower02 signing off!**


	5. Reunion

**A/N: Yo, yo, yo what's up dawg? maxpower02 is back in da house for yet another exciting chapter of Kamen Rider War Side Stories Arc 1: The Chaos Insurgency! But first, review replies! Thank you alteragito, Kamen rider Lord, A fearsome warrior, and AdamJY for the review! For those of you who are anxious to see who's the Game Master's accomplice mentioned in the previous chapter, this chapter will answer all of your questions! To Kamen rider Lord, since the war will take a long time, I think Steffi will not have the same 99 days' time limit as Takeru does, but unless** _ **Ghost**_ **gives us more interesting development, I'll leave it just like that. To AdamJY, maybe you should make a new account to make your Halia side story. I also lost my account on this site once, it's an account named NiseDyna (don't search it, the stories there were crap lol), I forgot its password and replaced it with this very account. Like I always said, if you have the idea, it is for the best if you pour it as soon as you can :))**

 **Where was I? Ah yes, chapter five. Here it is told from a 3** **rd** **person's point of view all the way from the start to the finish and will revolve around Minh and Wind, training underneath Steffi before the three of them decided to take down one of the Game Master's most trusted accomplices, while at the same time Two meets Ryuga's human form and got an important tip-off from him. And Nozomi will appear in this chapter too, working at her part-time job that connects both Krishna and Steffi's groups together, in a way.**

 **P.S. I strongly recommend you to read NecroGod's Kamen Rider War before you read this. Otherwise you wouldn't get the story :p**

 **Alright, without further ado, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any other series that I crossover.**

 **xxx**

It was a quiet morning in the suburbs of Tokusat City. Alone on her Rose Attacker, Two made her way towards a small café that stood at the city's outskirts, the Café mald'amour. Around half an hour ago, Two got an anonymous message on her Y-Gear telling her to get to the café as soon as possible, as the anonymous sender is going to relay some important information regarding the ongoing war to her. The message also told her to go to the café by herself, which is why she refuses Krishna's offer to escort her.

 _ **Flashback starts**_

" _Are you serious that you want to go there by yourself?" Krishna asked after Two had turned down his offer, "It could be a trap set by an enemy Rider to ambush us."_

" _Krishna, I'll be fine," Two smiled, showing the young man her Forbidden Ringo Lockseed, "I can take care of myself. But in case anything happens, I'll be going on a 10 minute head start, and once the 10 minutes has past, you're going to follow me to that café to act as my backup. I'll relay you the map to the location through your Y-Gear."_

 _Krishna thought for a moment, before he nodded, "Sounds like a good plan. I'm in. Just be safe, okay?"_

 _ **Flashback ends**_

Two glances at her Rose Attacker's rearview mirror, to see a faint glimmer of another Rose Attacker tailing her from behind, Krishna's Rose Attacker to be exact. The Vietnamese then turned her attention towards the road again, when she saw a European-style building in brown standing proudly on the left hand side of the road. The words " _Café mald'amour_ " is written on a wooden sign on the building's front side.

'So this is the place,' Two thought as she parked her Rose Attacker in front of the building, 'Looks kinda posh.'

Stepping into the café, Two was greeted by a quiet looking establishment, with the proprietor behind the counter and his Golden Retriever the only other living creatures there. The proprietor was a middle-aged Japanese man with glasses, who greeted Two with a warm smile once she approached the counter.

"Welcome to Café mald'amour," the man greeted as Two picked up the café's menu from the counter and give it a good read, "What do you wish to order?"

"A decaf would be enough," Two replied, "And maybe a cheese bagel will do too."

A few minutes later, after getting acquainted with the proprietor's dog on its kennel, Two had taken her seat at a table facing the café's parking lot, giving her a good look on her parked Rose Attacker. The proprietor then came with Two's order, as a soft bell chime was heard from the door.

"Ah, another guest," the proprietor said as he heard the chime, before turning his attention back to Two, "Enjoy your meal."

"Thanks," Two smiled as the proprietor left.

As she sipped her decaf, Two saw a young man entering the café, immediately conversing with the proprietor once he got to the counter. The man is dressed in all black, with a long coat that has a fur-lined collar, black jeans, black boots, and black fingerless gloves with red cloth wrapping his fingers. The man's coat hood is draped over his head, hiding his features from the world.

'Wonder who he is…' Two wondered as she took a bite out of her bagel.

The young man talked with the café's proprietor for a few minutes, before the latter points the man towards Two's table, much to her surprise.

'Is that him?' Two thought as the man headed towards her table, 'Is that the person who has sent me that message?'

The man sat in front of Two, a black, ancient looking pendant on his neck. Even though his facial features were hidden by his hood, a brief smile can be seen on the man's face.

"So glad that you can make it here, Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh," the man greeted, his mention of Two's full name startling the young woman, "And looks like you're here by yourself. Nice. Can't have _**him**_ know about our meeting…"

"Okay, first of all, who are you?" Two asked, her left hand slowly reaching for her back pocket where her Forbidden Ringo Lockseed awaits, "And how do you know my name?"

Hearing Two's rather stern questions, the man instead chuckled, "Wow, is that how you're going to say hi to me? But then again, it's kinda my fault for going straight to the point like that. I hope this'll make you remember who I really am."

The man took out a black Advent Deck from his coat pocket, a black dragon head emblem emblazoned on it. The man then places the Advent Deck on the table, causing Two to instantly recognize the man in front of her.

"You're…Ryuga…" Breathing a sigh of relief, Two lowers her guard, a friendly smile appearing on her face, "It's been a while, huh?"

"That's true," Ryuga said, pocketing his Advent Deck once again, "My duties here have prevented us from meeting each other once again and I feel that I needed to explain more about what's going on here. But Histoire did already tell you the basic stuff, right?"

"Yeah," Two nodded, sipping on her decaf, "It's been like two weeks, right? I guess Krishna and I had settled in nicely here."

A sad expression appeared on Ryuga's face after he had heard that, "Yeah, glad to hear that…" To be honest, seeing innocent people like Krishna and Two being involved in this twisted war breaks a little part of Ryuga's heart. Especially after the Game Master has told him the consequences of what will happen if he doesn't do his job…

"What's wrong?" Two asked, noticing Ryuga's sadness.

"Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh…no…I mean Two…" Ryuga said, his voice strained from his nearly futile attempts to contain his sadness, "Do you really want to know why the Game Master has set up this war in the first place? I believe Histoire has told you a fraction of the war's truth, but it is time to hear the complete truth from one of the Game Master's most trusted men. Two, are you ready to digest everything that I'm going to say?"

"Go for it," Two smiled, "I've already experienced a lot of shocks in my life. I'm sure I can tolerate one more."

"Alright," Ryuga cleared his throat, "Here I go…"

At the same time, the café proprietor turned on his blender as he prepared Ryuga's order, a tall glass of mixed fruit milkshake. The noise of the blender obscured what Ryuga and Two are conversing about, but we do get a clear look on what they're talking about from their facial expressions. Whatever Ryuga has told Two, it is more than enough to turn her curious expression into to a frightened look, before transforming into a shocked, horrified gasp.

"Holy shit," a frightened Two gasped once Ryuga has finished his explanation, at the same time the proprietor has finished his blending, "That's…that's insane! I still can't believe that all of these innocent people that you've sent here…they're fighting for that man's twisted and sadistic desire?! Including me and Krishna?!"

"Sadly yes," Ryuga nodded sadly, tears can be seen slowly flowing out from his eyes, "If I didn't did what he told me to do…"

"…that girl that you love so much will pay the price," Two continued, her mind still trying to process what Ryuga had told her, but a part of her heart is starting to sympathize with the man in front of her, "Guess you're in a tough spot, huh?"

"The same spot that you're in before I took you here," Ryuga said, letting out a sad sigh, "But yours only involve your family's honor and company…mine's involve the lives of everyone that I've sent here, yours included. The fact that I'm practically sacrificing all of you for him…it's still too unbearable for me."

As Ryuga sat sadly on his seat, a warm hand touched his right shoulder, and immediately a familiar feeling of care and compassion rushed through Ryuga's body. Slowly Ryuga looked at the owner of the hand who has comforted him. It was Two's, the young woman letting out a warm smile as she comforted the mysterious young man in front of her.

"Don't worry," Two said reassuringly, "If everything that you and Histoire said is true, we will do our best to bring an end to this madness. And we will bring that girl you love so much back to you safe and sound."

"Gosh," Ryuga smiled, wiping away the tears in his eyes, "Thank you very much. I don't know how I should express my gratitude to you."

At the same time the proprietor approached the table, a smile on his face and a tall glass of milkshake on his hand.

"Here's your order, Sir," the proprietor said politely as he placed the glass on the table, "Enjoy your drink."

"Thank you," Ryuga said as the proprietor left, sipping his milkshake before he turned his attention back towards Two, "By the way, would you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" Two asked back.

Ryuga slowly reached for his coat pocket, taking out a small photograph before giving it to Two, who looked at it immediately. It was a close-up photograph of a silver, robotic monster, with orange accents all over its body and a blue visor eye.

"Schwarian, one of the Game Master's most trusted accomplices," Ryuga said, "He commands an army of kaijins that has taken over Wajima District, the city's center of potteries and antique goods, pretty much enslaving everyone there to serve underneath the Game Master. I want you and your friends to take him down."

"Wait a minute," Two said, "This Schwarian fellow is just like you, right? Someone that the Game Master trusts very much?"

"Yup," Ryuga nodded.

"And you wanted us to eliminate him?" Two asked, still unsure about the favor that Ryuga asked her to do, "Doesn't that mean…that you're using us to betray the Game Master?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Ryuga smirked, "I never liked that bastard anyway." Ryuga slowly lifted his neck, revealing a small iron collar surrounding his neck, "I've helped you break free from your parents' shackles. Now it's your turn to break me free, Two. Release me from my role as the Game Master's godforsaken lapdog, and help me reunite with the girl that I love so dearly. And if we eliminate Schwarian, the Game Master will lose his influence over an important district of the city and if that happens, he'll be weakened. Together, we can free this place from that bastard's iron fist!"

Two went silent, her eyes still fixed at the photograph in her hands. Her mind is still working hard trying to get a grip on everything that Ryuga has said to her. But, realizing that if stopping this Schwarian would bring her one step closer to Ryuga's freedom as well as one step closer to fulfilling the mission that she'd received after she had arrived at Tokusat City, there's no other choice for her other than to accept it.

"I'll do it," Two said firmly, pocketing the photograph that Ryuga has given to her, "For the sake of our freedom."

"I knew I could count on you, Two," a pleased Ryuga said, "But I need to warn you. Schwarian is a very tough opponent and his bodyguard is a force to be reckoned with."

"Bodyguard?" Two lifted her eyebrows in confusion and curiosity.

"Kamen Rider Arc," Ryuga said, "At 3.2m, it is the largest Rider in this war. Some say that Schwarian himself abducted Arc's user from your world and modified that poor human himself, using it as his personal vanguard. In order to defeat such an opponent, you're going to need this."

Ryuga takes out a small white box from his coat pocket, placing it on the table before opening it in front of a curious Two. Inside the box was a Lockseed, themed after a green watermelon with the code **L.S-10** written in black on it.

"The Suika Lockseed, freshly stolen from the Game Master's personal belongings," Ryuga said as Two picked up the box and the Lockseed inside it, "One of the most if not the most powerful natural Lockseeds in existence. You'll probably going to need that if you're going to fight Arc, because if you fight such a gargantuan without any preparation, you're as good as dead."

Ryuga glanced at the window behind Two, noticing a tall, dark-skinned young man sitting on his Rose Attacker, playing his Y-Gear in his hands.

"Your friend's here," Ryuga said, "I hope he doesn't overhear everything that we've discussed…"

"Don't worry; even if he did hear what we talked about, we can trust Krishna," Two smiled as she closes up the box containing the Suika Lockseed, "He's one of the most reliable guys that I've known."

Ryuga nodded, "I guess it's time for you to go, eh? But before you leave…there's one last thing that I need to tell you. I didn't say this too often to anyone, but please don't call me Ryuga. That's the name given to me by that sadistic bastard. I'm trusting you with my real name because…you're one of the only few people that I can consider as a friend in all of this."

Two blushed slightly, apparently Ryuga's words has moved her, "Tell me then. I'm all ears."

"Alright," Ryuga smiled, slowly opening up his hood, "My real name is…"

 **xxx**

"Ah, damn it!" Krishna cursed, sighing in frustration as he glared at his Y-Gear's screen, "That was almost a Full Combo!"

Having waited for Two for the last fifteen minutes, Krishna decided to kill time by playing his _Love Live! School Idol Festival_ game and is almost close to beating the song " _Bokura wa Ima no Naka de_ ," only for his right thumb to slip up in the last second, costing him a Full Combo. Even though he still got an S rank for the song, the failure of gaining a Full Combo still frustrates him.

Before Krishna could continue though, the café door swung open and Two emerged out of it, the Vietnamese immediately rushing towards Krishna and the two Rose Attackers parked near him.

"Krishna, we're leaving," Two said as she mounted her Rose Attacker, putting on her helmet on her head, "We've got a mission in our hands."

"Mission?!" Krishna gawked, pocketing his Y-Gear immediately, "Already?!"

"Yeah," Two nodded as she starts up her engine, "I'll explain it along the way."

Krishna sighed, rolling his eyes as he mounted his own Rose Attacker, putting on the helmet, "Fine. At least I could kick some ass to vent out all of this frustration."

"You screwed up your game again, didn't you Krishna?" Two asked teasingly.

"God damn it! Don't remind me."

 **xxx**

Putting his hood back on, Ryuga watched on as both Two and Krishna rode their Rose Attackers away from the café's premises. As the two disappeared from his sight, a look of nostalgia appeared on Ryuga's face, the mysterious young man letting out a soft yet sad chuckle as he enjoyed his milkshake.

"That Two…" Ryuga said, sipping on his milkshake, "She kinda reminds me of you, Noire."

Putting down the milkshake on the table, Ryuga slowly takes out an old-style flip phone, colored black with red accents, his eyes making contact with the phone's wallpaper screen. It has a picture of Ryuga holding hands with a girl clad in black, with black hair styled in a twintail and crimson eyes.

"Don't worry Noire," Ryuga said to no one in particular as he looked at the screen, "You're going to be safe. I'll do my best to protect you…"

 **xxx**

 _ **KAMEN RIDER WAR – THE SIDE STORIES**_

 **xxx**

 **(Cue Opening: Virtue and Vice – Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas)**

 **(Instrumentals)** _The screen opens to reveal a close-up of Kamen Rider Baron. As the guitar begins to riff, the screen alternates between shots of Baron's gauntlets, chest armor, shoulders, back, and Sengoku Driver, before the drum begins to play with the story title appearing in front of a silhouetted Baron, with silhouettes of Duke and Marika standing on Baron's right side, and silhouettes of Zangetsu and Sigurd standing on Baron's left side. A scream was heard as Baron's silhouette raises his Banaspear and slashes the title, rushing into battle with the other four Riders flanking him._

 **(Don't know what's being misunderstood, missiles flying children getting shot)** _Krishna kicked and punched several Elementary Inves at an empty stage, with white strobe lights flashing as he does so, before it ends with Krishna brandishing his Banana Lockseed at the screen._

 **(Swindles everywhere, people who should be the most loved ones, killing each other)** _Chan and Meika standing back to back with each other in front of an orange screen before they walked in opposite directions as a red line began to split the screen, focusing on the girls' stoic faces before focusing on the Melon Lockseed in Chan's hand and Cherry Energy Lockseed in Meika's, before the line slides itself in a diagonal position and splits the screen open to show Wind relaxing underneath a tree, playing the Peach Energy Lockseed in her hand._

 **(Once you keep an eye off, things get stolen)** _The scene shifts to Minh lying in a rather "suggestive" position in a pool of blood, the camera scrolling up from her legs towards her body before reaching her head, the scene then switches to a close-up of Minh's face, her expressionless eyes staring at the Lemon Energy Lockseed in her right hand, a few patches of blood tainting the object._

 **(The world is like this, the world that we don't know, the unknown world)** _The scene switches to an abandoned storage room, with an office table lying in the middle of the room. Two is seen tinkering with her laptop on the table, before she slowly looked up towards the camera, before the scene fades to Kamen Rider Idunn standing against a black background, with the camera filming Idunn's right side, before it switches towards Idunn's front side, with a shroud of grey covering her entire left side. The camera slowly zooms towards Idunn's head which was looking down, before she suddenly lifts up her head, her visor glowing._

 **(Out of our hands, it doesn't matter, covering up, acting like you don't see a thing)** _The scene then changes to Nozomi walking down an alleyway alone on the way to school, before it switches to Nozomi sitting idly as her friends chatted around her, looking out the window as she stared at the clear blue sky outside._

 **(If you think it's a different thing, you won't notice that the world you live in is)** _The scene then switched to the Chaos Insurgency's hideout, where Krishna is staring the clear blue sky from the window of the hideout, while his teammates are busy playing darts on the background. Suddenly an alert message flashed onto Krishna's Y-Gear, prompting everyone to run out of the hideout._

 **(Instrumentals)** _Shots of the Chaos Insurgency members running are shown frame by frame, each lit by a different color (red for Krishna, blue for Minh, pink for Wind, white for Chan, green for Meika, and yellow for Two)._

 **(Look at it, oh yeah!** ) _The scene switches to Kamen Rider Mars stepping out towards a large plaza, several Dark Riders are seen behind him._

 **(The world is all linked together)** _Krishna and the other Chaos Insurgency members ran up towards the incoming Dark Riders, with their Lockseeds in their hands and their Drivers on their waists. Krishna exchanged looks with his teammates, before he unlocks his Banana Lockseed as the screen fades into yellow._

 **(Save our loved ones and the world (** _ **hey hey because breaking**_ **))** _Kamen Riders Sigurd and Gaoh clashed together as Kamen Rider Idunn takes on Kamen Rider Tyrant, both Riders using their Sonic Arrow and Sword Bringer respectively to counter their opponents' respective weapons._

 **((** _ **down the piled wood castle is easy)**_ **These peaceful days lasting is a wish)** _Kamen Rider Zangetsu defends herself with her Melon Defender from an incoming slash courtesy of Kamen Rider Yuuki, before slashing the skeleton Rider with her Musou Saber._

 **(** _ **hey hey these peaceful days, continuing is just like a wish**_ **)** _Kamen Rider Marika is engaged in a shootout with Kamen Rider Psyga, while Kamen Rider Duke takes on Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto in a melee brawl._

 **(Because I have no idea, how many tickets "to live today" are left)** _Kamen Riders Baron and Mars rushed towards each other, performing identical Rider Punches towards one another that sends them stumbling backwards._

 **(Even at the time when you were playing cards, somewhere in this world)** _As the Dark Riders falter back, the Chaos Insurgency Riders gather around, with the Genesis Riders huddling behind Baron, who uses his Banana Sparking to energize his Banaspear. He then stabs the Banaspear onto the ground, creating a series of energy bananas that skewers the Dark Riders as the screen fades into white._

 **(Somebody is crying)** _The scene flashes from white to show Kamen Rider Gaim Yami leading a group of Riders towards the Chaos Insurgency Riders. Baron slowly made his way towards Gaim Yami, the two Riders reaching their hands towards each other, before they finally touch as the scene fades into white and the song ends._

 **xxx**

 **Arc I: The Chaos Insurgency**

 **Chapter V: Reunion**

 **As told from a 3** **rd** **person's point of view**

 **xxx**

Three motorcycles pulled themselves to a stop in front of a Shinto temple located somewhere in the heart of Tokusat City. The first motorcycle was a black Honda CRF250L with an orange seat and a unicorn theme to it; it is called the Machine Ghostriker. The second one was the familiar rose-themed Honda XR250 that is the Rose Attacker, while the third motorcycle was a cherry blossom-themed Honda XR250, the Sakura Hurricane.

"Here we are," Steffi said, taking off her helmet as she dismounted her Machine Ghostriker, "How's the Lock Vehicles that I give you? You like them?"

"Like them? We love them!" Minh replied, taking off her own helmet as she got off her Rose Attacker, "This is way better than the electric bicycle that I had back home!"

"Of course they're better than your bicycle, Minh," Wind laughed as she got off her Sakura Hurricane, "These are motorcycles, not bicycles! But then again, these two are much better than my motorcycle back home."

Minh rolled her eyes, "At least they both have two wheels…"

Ignoring her best friend's rather exasperated sighs, Wind took notice of the temple gate in front of her, her eyes trying to read the Kanji characters etched on them, "Daitenkuji…nice place you got there, Steffi."

"Thanks," Steffi smiled, "The temple's head priest brought me in after I arrived here, and he said that I literally dropped out of the sky during my arrival. The man's a nice guy; he nursed me back to health, explained to me what is going on here, and provided the rear gardens of the temple as my training area. Come inside, I think we have some tea and rice cakes for you two."

As Steffi, Minh, and Wind entered the temple, little did they know a blue and white Honda CBR650F with white chains shackled on its body was seen parked a few meters in front of the Daitenkuji, its rider standing behind it, hidden from the three girls' sight. On the rider's hand is a cobra-themed cell phone, several clicking noises were heard from it. Without uttering any word, the mysterious rider mounted its motorcycle and left immediately.

 **xxx**

Steffi lead Minh and Wind into the Daitenkuji grounds, where two young women wearing white _haori_ (kimono jacket), red long skirts and wooden sandals are seen sweeping up the temple's front gardens. The first young woman is the familiar twin-tailed purple-haired beauty that is Nozomi Tojo, while the second young woman has a tall, rather busty figure, with tan brown skin, long black hair, and hazel eyes.

"Nozomi, Mana!" Steffi called the two young women, signaling them to come towards her, "I'm back from my shopping trip!"

Minh and Wind immediately blinked at each other upon hearing that.

"Shopping trip?" Minh whispered under her breath as Nozomi and Mana, the young woman greeted Steffi, making sure that neither of the trio is listening to her voice, "Didn't we just fight off a bunch of monsters before we came here?"

"Well…Steffi did insist that we take a brief stop at a convenience store on the way here," Wind whispered back, "Plus, those two women looked awfully familiar…but I forgot where did I last see them."

"How's the trip?" Nozomi asked.

"Did you get something for us?" added Mana.

Steffi giggled, "Oh you two. The trip was fine and dandy, as always. I've got some packets of candy for you two. Want some?"

Both Nozomi and Mana grinned in delight as Steffi produces a plastic bag from her pocket, taking out two packets of orange candies from the bag before handing them to the eager young women.

"Oranges! My favorite," Mana squealed in delight as she accepted the packet from Steffi.

"Meh, expected some yakiniku jerky but I guess this'll do. At least they're not caramel candy," Nozomi said, letting out a brief smile as she accepted the packet.

"Don't worry Non-tan, I'll buy you some jerky when I go out again," Steffi winked.

As Nozomi opened her packet of candy, she notices Minh and Wind standing a few meters behind Steffi, talking amongst each other, "Who are those? Friends of yours?"

"Oh! How come I forgot about them," Steffi slapped her own forehead as she laughed sheepishly, "Minh, Wind! Why don't you two come over here?"

Immediately Minh and Wind went over towards Steffi, Nozomi, and Mana. An ecstatic Steffi immediately grabbed Minh and Wind by the shoulders, grinning ear to ear as she embraced them. The sudden gesture obviously startled both Vietnamese girls.

"Girls, meet Le Thao Minh and Tran Bao Quyen, but you can call them Minh and Wind. They're friends of mine from where I came from and they've just arrived here. I met them during my trip and decided to show them around this place. Yeah, they're definitely lucky enough to run into me! Minh, Wind, these are the _miko_ or the shrine maiden of this place. The purple haired one is Nozomi Tojo, while that tanned beauty next to her is Mana Tatsumiya. While Mami here is a full-time _miko_ , Nozomi's a part-timer, she usually works here after her classes have finished on the weekdays," Steffi introduces both Minh and Wind to Nozomi and Mana and vice versa, "I hope the four of you would get along well!"

"Er…ni…nice to meet you," Minh stammered uneasily, while Wind lets out an equally uneasy smile as Steffi's grip around her left shoulder tightens.

"Nice to meet you girls," Nozomi smiled, "Welcome to Daitenkuji. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here. You two are going to stay here with Steffi, right?"

"For a while, yes," Steffi replied, "By the way, is Onari-san here?"

"He's in his study room, as usual," Mana said, "You wanted to see him?"

"Of course I do," Steffi grinned, before heading towards the main temple building with Minh and Wind in tow, "See you later, girls! Keep up the good work!"

As soon as the trio entered the temple's main building, a displeased Minh and Wind immediately released themselves from Steffi's grip, confronting the young woman with glares from their eyes. Despite that, Steffi remained calm; a brief chuckle even escaped her mouth.

"What was that all about?!" Minh asked, "We just came back from fighting monsters and all you tell them is that you went out on a shopping trip?!"

"Hey, hey, no need to get mad," Steffi chuckled again, which instead of defusing the situation, it made it even worse.

"Steffi, you just outright _**lied**_ to those girls!" Minh continued, "They're your caretakers, for God's sake! They deserve to know whatever you're doing around here!"

"Okay, okay, let me explain," Steffi sighed, "The shrine maidens here didn't know a thing about me being a Kamen Rider."

"Wait, what?!" both Minh and Wind gawked at the same time.

"I didn't tell them," Steffi continued, "Didn't Histoire told you anything when you two came here?"

"Well she was in a middle of an explanation when those..." Wind went silent for a moment, trying to think up what she's trying to say, before turning to Minh to help her, "…what is it again, Minh? Those green monsters that we killed off?"

"Worms," Minh replied quickly.

"Right, when those Worms decided to attack us. Histoire said that we're stuck in the world where people from our universe are being dragged here to fight it out against each other until the last Kamen Rider stands," Wind continued.

"And that is exactly why the people in this temple shouldn't know about my exploits as a Kamen Rider," Steffi said, leaning herself against a nearby wall, "The kind people in this temple had taken such good care of me when I arrived here. I can't risk making them worry to death with my frequent exploits as Ghost…especially when I…how do you put this…have already died once."

"WHAT?!" both Minh and Wind gasped in shock.

Steffi nodded sadly, "You do remember the day I suddenly disappeared from campus, right?"

"Yeah, we thought that you skipped the orientation period or something," Minh replied, "Did something happened?"

Steffi lets out a sad sigh, a sigh that contrasts her somewhat light-hearted personality that Minh and Wind knew. Taking a deep breath, Steffi tried to control herself so that she wouldn't burst into tears as she explains, "Well, this is what happened…"

 _ **Flashback starts**_

 _It was a breezy and sunny afternoon in Beppu. Having finished her orientation classes for the day, Steffi has decided to go downtown to do some weekly shopping. With her dormitory located high up in the mountains surrounding the city, shopping for daily needs could be a hassle since most of the city's supermarkets are located on the lowland areas of the city, and with classes starting soon, Steffi decided it's high time that she stocked her fridge with food supplies for the coming weeks._

 _Stepping out of the supermarket with several bags of meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, and spices, Steffi slowly made her way towards the bus stop, ready to take the bus back to her dormitory that will arrive in around 8 minutes. But before she could even leave the supermarket's parking lot, a black Humvee suddenly appeared out of nowhere, barring the path between her and the exit. A tall man stepped out from the vehicle, wearing a black suit, black trousers, and black shoes, his long black hair tied in a ponytail. Tattoos decorated his knuckles, the back of his neck, and his right arm, suggesting that the man is a part of an underground crime organization, a Yakuza._

" _Pham Vu To Quyen?_ _Otherwise known as Steffi?" the man asked; his tone stern and gruff._

" _Ye-yes, that's me…" Steffi stammered, frightened by the man's sudden appearance as well as the menacing look on the man's face, her shopping bags dropping like flies around her, her body stumbling back in fright, "Wh…what…what do you want with me?"_

" _Your beloved Yugane Masayuki said hi," the man said, brandishing a knife from his right sleeve, "And he wants to see you in Hell."_

 _Before Steffi could say anything, the cold stainless steel blade of the man's knife had penetrated through her stomach, blood staining her clothes and the ground as she collapses, coughing up blood. As onlookers quickly flocked at Steffi's dying body, the man immediately went back to his Humvee, before the vehicle left the parking lot quickly._

' _Is…this…the…end?' Steffi's last thoughts echoed wildly on her head as her pulse slowly weakens, the lively glow in her eyes slowly fading away, her body going limp slowly._

 _That day, marks the day Pham Vu To Quyen dies._

 _ **Flashback ends**_

"I still couldn't believe it," Steffi continues her story, wiping away her tears as Minh and Wind listened on in complete shock and horror, "My ex-boyfriend…he sent someone to kill me! How could he…after everything that we've been through…"

Slowly Minh approached the now crying Steffi, embracing her in a hug to calm her down.

"There, there," Minh said in a warm tone, "I'm not good in relationship stuff like this, but I'm sure that someday, that despicable man is going to pay for whatever he did to you."

"Thanks Minh," Steffi nodded sadly as Minh releases her hug, "Now, where was I? After I was stabbed to death, I met Histoire, who explains that my ex-boyfriend is now participating in a war between Kamen Riders and that I've been given a second chance in life to stop him, because from what Histoire has heard, he is working closely with the ones responsible for bringing chaos to this city."

"And that's how you came here and got your powers," Wind said, having putting two and two together.

Steffi nodded, "The only person that knew my identity as a Kamen Rider was the temple's head priest, Onari. He was the one who found me after Histoire dropped me off here and he was also the one who Histoire has given responsibility to take care of me. It was him and the other shrine maidens that helped me adjust to life my new life here. During my time here, I have deplored the tactics of the one behind all of this, the Game Master. Histoire told me that the Game Master has sent numerous monsters to terrorize the people here as well as to use them as tools to keep the Riders in optimal performance in case they need to fight. I've fought these monsters for a while and I started to see a pattern behind the monster attacks in this city."

"Pattern?" Minh lifted her eyebrows in interest.

"That's right," Steffi continued, "The Game Master has a few Riders and monsters as his personal lieutenants on the field, as the ones who oversee the fighting all over this city. I believe we've met two of them, right?"

"The first one is Histoire, right?" Wind asked.

"Yeah, but she's more of an unwilling servant and I think she's more than happy to betray the Game Master, only she doesn't know when to act," Steffi replied, "The second one is Kamen Rider Ryuga. He's the one responsible for bringing most if not all of us into this city. His true identity is shrouded in a mystery, not even I have a clue on what he really is. But beware, if you encounter this black dragon warrior on the streets, it is wise for you to not to pick a fight with him because he could take you out within seconds."

"Ryuga? Black dragon warrior?" Minh wondered, before she realized something, "That's who we saw on our dreams before we were sent here!"

"Our friend also saw this Ryuga in her dreams and she disappeared as well," added Wind, "Could it be that she's here as well?"

"Well sadly I don't know about that," Steffi shook her head, "I mean come on, I'm not God here. I have no idea on the whereabouts of all of the Riders in this war. But I do know someone working closely to the Game Master who has the power to rival a god."

Steffi took out a black and white Y-Gear from her pocket, surprising both Minh and Wind, "I bet your phones are now rendered inoperable right? Well you got this thing as a replacement. It's called a Y-Gear, and it's practically your number one guide to everything that is happening in this city."

'So that's what that pane of metal is called,' Minh thought, recalling the time where she found out that her iPhone has changed into a device resembling a thin pane of metal when she and Wind first found themselves in that colonial styled-house earlier today.

Steffi tinkered with her Y-Gear, scrolling through the numerous photos stored in the device before she came across a photo of a gold, brown, and black phoenix-themed warrior, showing the photo for Minh and Wind to see.

"Kamen Rider Odin," Steffi said, "Like Ryuga, he's also someone who the Game Master trusts very much. No one knows his true identity, but from what I've gathered he has powers that made you literally think twice before fighting him. Psychokinesis, teleportation, control over monsters, the ability to guess his opponents' movements…while you might still have a chance when you're fighting Ryuga, but if you're going up against Odin…forget it. He'll curb-stomp you like there's no tomorrow."

"Yikes," both Minh and Wind cringed.

"Which brings me to the last close accomplice of the Game Master," Steffi said again, scrolling through her Y-Gear's photos, "I'm pretty sure there's more, but for now I only have intel for three of them. Here it is."

Steffi showed the screen of her Y-Gear to both Minh and Wind, which displays an image of the robotic monstrosity that is Schwarian.

"His name is Schwarian," Steffi explained, "Calling himself as the ultimate machine; he took a district in this city underneath his tyrannical rule…the very district where you guys were sent to from the real world. Heck, Histoire told me that he was the one who sent those Worms to kill you."

"Holy shit," Minh gasped, "Why would he do that?!"

"Probably to test your new powers, for the sending the Worms to kill you part," Steffi replied, "For taking an entire district hostage thing, I'm not quite sure, but I'm guessing he's building something, a gate if I'm not mistaken. It's probably for the Game Master's strategic purposes, or perhaps Schwarian has some hidden agenda behind everyone's back, I don't know. But what's important is, we need to extract information regarding this war and the Game Master from Schwarian before we dispose of him. If we can eliminate one of the Game Master's most trusted lieutenants, we can weaken his influence in this city."

"What does this has to do with us?" Wind asked.

"Histoire asked me to train you two for the war, so that the other Riders won't slaughter you out there, as well as to protect you girls from the evil Riders that would try to recruit you to their cause, my ex included," Steffi said, "Which I will do, but I need you guys to do a favor for me."

"What favor?" asked Minh.

Steffi cleared her throat, "I need you two to help me with my current mission, the one involving Schwarian. I heard from my sources that he has a bodyguard with him; a three meter tall behemoth of a Kamen Rider named Arc. And there's no way in Hell I would go up against an opponent as huge as that by myself, even with my current equipment. That would be too much. Plus he's got his army as well, so it's a job too much for me if I did this alone. So what do you say about this, girls?"

Both Minh and Wind looked at each other uneasily. At one side, they've just arrived in Tokusat City, they've just barely survived their first fight, plus they've barely grasped the full potential of their new powers. Just last night they were sleeping peacefully in their dorm rooms back in Beppu, but now they've been thrown into a completely alien world, where they were forced to fight monsters and other people with similar powers, even potentially their own friends. On the plus side, they've encountered one such people, a friend of theirs who went missing for a while, now an experienced fighter in this war. As long as she's one of the good guys, there's no harm in helping her, right?

"We've decided," Minh said, a smile flashing on her face as she offered her hand to Steffi, "We're in."

Grinning in delight, Steffi accepted Minh's hand and shook it, "Glad that you two are on board. Now, if you girls can follow me to the study room, I'm going to introduce you to Onari. He's a swell guy; I believe you two will get along with him real soon. He's a little bit hysterical though…"

 **xxx**

"Did you see anything unusual yet?"

Two sighed, taking her eyes off her binoculars for a second to let out a glare of dismay towards Krishna, "For the fifteenth time, no, Krishna. There's nothing unusual at that warehouse. Maybe there's something wrong in our Y-Gears…"

After having lunch and a little spar in their hideout, Two and Krishna decided to investigate matters at Wajima District, following the tip-off that Ryuga gave to Two. During their patrol around the unusually quiet district on their Rose Attackers, both of their Y-Gears let out vibrated alerts near a warehouse, indicating that a group of unusual life forms are converging inside it. Suspicious that something unusual is going on inside the warehouse, Two and Krishna decided to do a stake out at the rooftop of the building across the warehouse, only to find nothing unusual for the past half an hour.

"Did you see anything unusual yet?" Krishna asked again.

Two sighed again, this time slightly more annoyed, "For fuck's sake, Krishna, if you don't stop, I swear to God that I'm going to…what the fuck?!"

Two quickly looked through her binoculars and saw, to her horror, two black, ninja-themed humanoids forcefully pushing two other shorter humanoids into the warehouse. The shorter humanoids are colored yellow with a patch of black hair on their heads as well as wearing blue suspenders.

"Is that what I think I see?" Two asked in shock, prompting Krishna to take out his own binoculars to take a look at it as well.

"Two Dustards…forcing two Minions into that warehouse?!" Krishna gasped.

"Minions? As in the ones from _Despicable Me_?" Two asked.

"Yeah," Krishna nodded, "Since we're in a world where everything that is fictional is real, I'm not that surprised."

After the two Dustards had forced the two Minions into the warehouse, another pair of Dustards arrived at the warehouse's entrance, this time with five Minions dragging heavy carts of metallic equipment with them. The Dustards used their short swords to prod the clearly exhausted Minions, forcing them to enter the warehouse.

"Those poor things…" Two muttered, before taking notice at the equipment that the Minions are bringing into the warehouse, "What are those things, Krishna?"

"I don't know," Krishna shook his head, "I think we need a closer look inside the warehouse. Does these binoculars capable of zooming in even further?"

"Just roll on the zoom tab on the side," Two said.

Krishna did what Two told him to do and managed to make his binoculars zoom into one of the warehouse's windows. There he saw several Minions being whipped into building a metallic gate-like structure by the Dustards and several black, mummy-like humanoids with one black eye on their faces and tattered dull white bandages on their bodies, the Waste Yummies. Also seen inside the warehouse are a young girl accompanied by a silver, robotic humanoid with sickle-like claws in place of hands.

"Looks like those Minions are building something in there," Krishna said, "It's some kind of a gate or something. Schwarian's there as well…"

Krishna then focuses his attention to the surroundings inside the warehouse, where several Dustards, Waste Yummies, and Salis Worms are seen patrolling, some of them even coming out from the warehouse's doors to guard the building's premises, "Shit, this place is heavily guarded. I guess we need to hatch up a plan to raid the place without causing too much damage to ourselves."

"Agreed," Two nodded, "We need to go back to our hideout to formulate something. But first, we need to go to the district's office to get our hands on that warehouse's blueprints."

"Gotcha," Krishna replied, pocketing his binoculars immediately.

 **xxx**

 **A few days later...**

At the Daitenkuji's rear gardens, Minh, Wind, and Steffi are seen standing facing each other, their transformation devices already secured around their waists, with Minh and Wind wearing their Genesis Drivers, while Steffi has just materialized her Ghost Driver a few seconds ago. Hovering above the three girls is Yurusen, an eager look was etched on the spirit's face.

It has been a few days since Minh and Wind set foot into the Daitenkuji grounds. Having making themselves acquainted with Onari, the temple's head priest, as well as the temple's shrine maidens, Minh and Wind are subjected to a regime of harsh training from Steffi and her spiritual advisor, Yurusen. Despite being slightly annoyed by the one-eyed spirit's habit of commenting on every single move that they made during their spars with Steffi, Minh and Wind soon came to tolerate Yurusen's talkativeness and took the spirit's advices to their hearts, eventually matching Steffi's fighting prowess in just a few days.

"You girls ready?" Steffi asked, taking out her black eyeball-shaped object, the Ore Ghost Eyecon.

"Ready!" Minh replied, taking out her Lemon Energy Lockseed, while Wind just nodded, taking out her own Peach Energy Lockseed.

" **Henshin!** " all three girls yelled in unison, pressing the buttons on their respective devices before placing them on their Drivers.

 **EYE?**

 **LEMON ENERGY!**

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

A pair of Cracks opened up above Minh and Wind, the Lemon Energy and Peach Energy Armor Parts hovering from them, while Steffi's floating black and orange hoodie, the Ore Parka Ghost, materializes itself from the Ghost Driver, dancing around Steffi to the tune of her Driver's standby noise.

 **BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!**

 **LOCK ON!**

 **LOCK ON!**

Minh and Wind quickly presses on their Drivers' Seaboll Compressors, while Steffi pushes down her Driver's lever.

 **KAIGAN! ORE! LET'S GO! KAKUGO! GHO-GHO-GHO-GHOST! GO! GO! GO! GO!**

 **SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FI-FI-FI-FI-FIGHT!**

 **SODA! PEACH ENERGY ARMS!**

Orange lines began to appear on Steffi's body as a black bodysuit materializes around her, the orange lines now etched on the suit while the familiar eye insignia is emblazoned on the chest. The Ore Parka Ghost then latches itself onto the bodysuit, enabling Steffi to tuck her arms into the awaiting hoodie's arms, while the familiar orange and black mask shifts itself onto the blank faceplate, completing Steffi's transformation into Kamen Rider Ghost, Ore Damashii!

Meanwhile, the Lemon Energy and Peach Energy Armor Parts fell onto the shoulders of Minh and Wind, materializing their Ride Wears as the Armor Parts unfold themselves, completing their transformations into Kamen Riders Duke and Marika in splashes of yellow and pink energies. Gripping their newly materialized Sonic Arrows tightly, Duke and Marika prepare themselves for a face-off with Ghost, who had just pulled out her black and silver sword, the Gan Gun Saber, from the Ghost Driver.

An eerie silence soon fell over the gardens, with the three Riders facing each other, neither of them willing to make the first move.

"Oh for crying out loud," Yurusen sighed from above the trio, "Just fight already!"

 **(Cue BGM: Warera Omou, Yue Ni Warera Ari – Kishidan)**

Immediately Duke, Marika, and Ghost went into battle, crying out war cries as they do so. Ghost was the first one to take initiative, swiping her Gan Gun Saber at Duke, only for the lemon Rider to expertly parry it with her Sonic Arrow.

"Now Wind! Here's your chance!" Yurusen exclaimed.

Marika nodded as she nimbly went around the two fighters who are still trying to throw each other off balance. Pulling her Sonic Arrow, Marika fired three arrows at Ghost, blasting the Rider's right side that enabled Duke to push Ghost off balance. Wasting no chances, Duke went for the offensive, slashing Ghost twice on the chest with her Sonic Arrow, before the third slash was once again parried by the Gan Gun Saber. Both Riders proceed to clash their weapons, with Marika once again trying her best to snipe Ghost from the sidelines.

"Minh! Try to make her stay still!" Marika yelled as she tried to take aim with her Sonic Arrow.

"I'm trying!" Duke replied, parrying an incoming slash.

"Silence!" Ghost scolded, blocking an incoming slash with her Gan Gun Saber, "Try to stay focused in battle!"

Countering two more slashes from Duke's Sonic Arrow, Ghost decided that enough is enough. With a loud heave, she broke free from the parry, sending a couple of slashes onto Duke's torso, before proceeding to switch her Gan Gun Saber from its default Sword Mode into its Naginata Mode by detaching one half of the weapon's twin-sided blade and attaching it to the bottom of the hilt.

Marika charged in, ready to attack Ghost with her Sonic Arrow, only for the orange and black Rider to activate her intangibility, causing Marika to slip through Ghost's body/

"What the fuck?!" Marika cursed in disbelief.

"Wind, watch out!" Yurusen warned.

Marika turned around a second too late, allowing Ghost to pummel her senselessly with her Gan Gun Saber's blades. The peach Rider tries her best to parry with her Sonic Arrow, but Ghost's prowess with a double-bladed weapon makes Marika struggle to even land a hit on her.

As Ghost is busy toying with Marika, Duke slowly stood up from the sidelines, having recovered from the slashes that Ghost inflicted on her as she detaches her Lemon Energy Lockseed, placing it onto the Sonic Arrow.

 **LOCK ON!**

"Wind, on the count of three, get out of the way immediately," Duke said, taking aim at Ghost as yellow energy began to gather on the Sonic Arrow, the weapon's silver blades extending by itself due to the energy buildup.

Marika immediately nodded, finally managing to block Ghost's Gan Gun Saber with her Sonic Arrow.

"One…" Duke started counting as a red crosshair appears on the unsuspecting Ghost's body.

Marika spun around, avoiding a swipe from Ghost's naginata, before firing several arrow shots onto the spirit Rider's chest.

"Two…" Duke continued, beads of sweat began to fall down her forehead as she tries to maintain her aim.

Marika kicked a stunned Ghost, trying her best to push the black and orange Rider onto the path of Duke's finisher.

"Three!" Duke yelled, firing her Sonic Arrow.

 **LEMON ENERGY!**

Marika quickly rolled out of the way as a large yellow energy arrow was fired from Duke's Sonic Arrow, the arrow spinning rapidly as it transforms itself into a yellow energy drill. Ghost didn't have the time to avoid the incoming attack as it pierced through her chest and out through her back, sparks flying in a spectacular manner from the entry and exit points as Ghost slowly slumped to her knees.

 **(BGM ends)**

"That's should do the trick," Duke said, slowly lowering her Sonic Arrow as she approaches the now motionless Ghost, "Steffi, you okay?"

Duke tried to tap Ghost's shoulders to make sure that she's okay, only to receive no response at all.

"Oh shit…" Duke muttered.

"What's wrong?" Marika asked, approaching both Duke and the motionless Ghost.

"I think I overdid my finisher," Duke replied worriedly, "I think…"

"…don't say it…" Marika interrupted, her tone indicating that she's equally as worried as Duke.

Suddenly without warning the familiar silver and raincoat bursts out from the Ghost Driver, the Edison Parka Ghost dancing around the three Riders before it releases several bolts of yellow electricity from its defibrillators, shocking both Duke and Marika away from the now chuckling Ghost.

"Gotcha," Ghost laughed as she slowly stood up, "I'm already dead, remember? That attack won't work against me at all."

 **KAIGAN! EDISON! EREKI! HIRAMEKI! HATSUMEI-O!**

"That is not funny!" Duke yelled as she stood up, "You scared the shit out of us!"

"Ya think?" Ghost, now in her Edison Damashii, continued to laugh as she attached the blades of the Gan Gun Saber together, tilting the weapon's hilt down before rotating the top half of the Gan Gun Saber's twin-sided blade, revealing a gun barrel.

Having converted her weapon into its Gun Mode, Ghost quickly took aim at an incoming Marika, firing a bolt of electricity that knocked her down on her back almost instantly. Duke tried to came in for the attack once again, only to receive a face-full of electricity much to her dismay and annoyance.

"Hey!" Duke cried as she fell on her bottom, "Knock it off!"

"As you wish, Minh-chan," Ghost said in a playful and flirtatious tone, switching her Edison Ghost Eyecon with the red Musashi Ghost Eyecon.

 **EYE?**

The Edison Parka Ghost vanishes into thin air as the Musashi Parka Ghost came to life, as usual dancing to the tune of the Ghost Driver.

 **BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!**

Ghost quickly pushes down her Driver's lever, prompting the Musashi Parka Ghost to latch onto her body.

 **KAIGAN! MUSASHI! KETTO! ZUBATTO! CHOKENGO!**

Transforming into her Musashi Damashii, Ghost immediately configures her Gan Gun Saber into its Nitouryu Mode, splitting the weapon down its twin-sided blade, before countering an incoming slash from Duke's Sonic Arrow with one sword.

"Minh, from what I've seen so far, your fighting style is based on brute strength and close quarter combat," Ghost said as she proceeds to slash Duke several times, "Even though the Sonic Arrow is more capable as a long-ranged weapon, you insist to use it as a melee weapon several times."

"That's true," Duke replied, fighting the pain raging through her body as she tried her best to counter Ghost's rapid slashes with her Sonic Arrow, "I used to do wrestling back in school, you know."

And with that, Duke swiftly counters yet another slash from Ghost, before proceeding to ditch her Sonic Arrow, much to Ghost's surprise. Without warning, Duke grabbed Ghost, hoisting the black and orange Rider over her shoulders.

"It's time for some Attitude Adjustment!" Duke exclaimed.

As a clearly surprised and panicked Ghost screamed, Duke threw her opponent to the ground, effectively incapacitating her.

"How's that?" Duke asked teasingly, "Now, for the pin-fall!"

"I have to admit that was nice," Ghost commented as Duke prepares to pin her to the ground for the count, "But I have more tricks up my sleeve!"

Just as Duke is about to pin her right elbow onto her, Ghost used her intangibility to phase through the ground the moment Duke slams her elbow, much to the lemon Rider's surprise.

"Hey!" Duke exclaimed in shock, "Where did she go?!"

 **KAIGAN! NEWTON! RINGO GA RAKKA, HIKIYOSE MAKKA~!**

Suddenly Ghost popped up from the ground, sporting a new blue and silver boxing jacket complete with blue, orb-shaped boxing gloves with a pair of blue pipes linking the gloves by the gauntlet with the shoulders, the black mask on the Rider's face now depicting a blue falling apple. Ghost has shifted into her gravity manipulating Newton Damashii.

"Gotcha," Ghost smirked playfully underneath her helmet as she punched an unaware Duke with her right fist, sending the lemon Rider flying several meters away due to the punch's gravitational power.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!" Duke cursed as she flew through the air, slamming through several trees before colliding against a large apple tree, causing the tree's fruits to fell on top of her.

Laughing at Duke's predicament, Ghost was unaware that Marika was sneaking up from behind her, her Sonic Arrow ready.

"Eat this!" Marika yelled, firing several shots from her Sonic Arrow.

Seeing the incoming arrows, Ghost yawned underneath her helmet as she let the arrows phase through her, much to Marika's surprise.

"Wind, your fighting style is based on long-ranged tactics. Since your armor's capabilities are the weakest among the Genesis Driver users, you rely mostly on your armor's speed and agility as well as your natural talent in using long-ranged weapons, hence you trying to snipe me since the beginning of this spar," Ghost said as she takes out yet another Ghost Eyecon, this time colored green, "So let's have a shootout, shall we?"

Ghost clicked on the Eyecon's side button, causing the code **03** written in white replacing the iris and pupil of the Eyecon. Taking out the blue Newton Eyecon out of the Ghost Driver, Ghost quickly inserts the green Eyecon into the Driver before closing it, causing the Newton Parka Ghost to disintegrate, being replaced with a green, medieval-themed jacket with yellow accents that flew out of the Ghost Driver.

 **EYE?**

 **BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!**

Ghost presses on her Driver's lever, causing the medieval jacket to latch onto her bodysuit as the Ghost Driver displays a green bow and arrow.

 **KAIGAN! ROBIN HOOD! HALLO! ARROW! MORI DE AOU!**

Ghost tucks herself into her new armor, a black mask with a green bow and arrow etched on it forming on her helmet as a yellow arrow pops up on the right side of her armor's hood. Now in her Robin Damashii, Ghost lifted up her right hand and snapped her fingers, prompting a black, orange, and green mechanical condor to fly towards her from the direction of the temple's main building, the condor latching itself on Ghost's right shoulder the moment it arrived on the scene.

Picking up the Gan Gun Saber and configuring it into its Gun Mode, Ghost installs the mechanical condor on the weapon's gun barrel, changing the weapon into a makeshift bow, its Arrow Mode. Being the expert archer herself, Marika was clearly taken aghast by this.

"No way…" Marika gasped.

"Yes way," Ghost giggled, "Now Wind-chan, show me how good of an archer you are."

Immediately accepting Ghost's challenge, Marika fired several times, a salvo of pink energy arrows flying towards Ghost. Seeing the incoming arrows, Ghost calmly took aim, a string of green energy materializing between the blades of her Gan Gun Saber's bow. Pulling on her trigger, Ghost fires several green arrows that cancel out the incoming pink ones.

Undeterred by this, Marika kept on firing as she ran through the battlefield, Ghost doing the same as well. The exchange of fire went well for two whole minutes, with neither of them gaining the upper hand. Deciding that she had enough, Marika stopped running, detaching her Peach Energy Lockseed before placing it onto her Sonic Arrow.

 **LOCK ON!**

Ghost decided to do the same as well, scanning the eye insignia on the Gan Gun Saber's hilt on the Ghost Driver.

 **DAI KAIGAN!**

 **GAN GAN MINA! GAN GAN MINA!** **GAN GAN MINA!**

Pink energy began to build up on Marika's Sonic Arrow as the Gan Gun Saber was energized with green energy. Taking aim at each other, the two Riders fired their respective weapons at the same time.

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

 **OMEGA STRIKE!**

Marika's pink energy arrow went flying towards Ghost, only for a green energy arrow to smash through it before striking the surprised peach Rider on the chest, sending her flying backwards.

"Wow," Ghost chuckled, "I guess I got lucky."

A pleased Yurusen descended down from the sky, clapping in admiration at the spar that she had just watched.

"They actually lasted longer than I thought," Yurusen commented, "Looks like they've finally matched your skills, Steffi. I can see that they'll survive this war."

"STEFFI-DONO! BIG TROUBLE!"

As Duke and Marika recovered themselves and regrouped with Ghost and Yurusen, a bald man wearing brown Buddhist monk attire came running out of the temple's main building, a worried and horrified look etched on his face.

"Onari!" Ghost called out as the bald man frantically approaches her, "What's wrong?"

"Steffi-dono!" Onari tried to control his breathing as he grabbed Ghost by the shoulders, "You need to go inside! The news…the news…there's a monster attack going on in Wajima District!"

"WHAT?!" Ghost, Duke, and Marika shot out in unison.

As everyone rushed towards the temple's main building, a brief chuckle was heard from behind a nearby tree. A 14-year old young man slowly stepped out from his hiding spot, a Y-Gear on his right hand while his left hand is toying with a blood red, pomegranate-themed Lockseed, the code **L.S-Messiah** engraved in black on it. The man wore a small trenchcoat along with a black t-shirt with a golden storm cloud on it, baggy black and white jeans, and red sneakers, with white skin, red eyes, and blue dyed hair.

"I knew it," the man said to no one in particular as he scrolled through the photos in his Y-Gear, which depicts Steffi transforming into Ghost and fighting, "She's still alive."

 **xxx**

" _This is Kent Brockman reporting from Wajima District, in what has been one of the darkest days in Tokusat City's history. Just five minutes ago a swarm of monsters has lay siege to this district, all of them gathering at a warehouse located in the eastern side of the district, where their commander is rallying them up to safeguard something located within it. Look! The leader is about to deliver a speech to all of us!_

" _People of Tokusat City!_ _My name is Schwarian, and I am the supreme ruler of this district! Today is a momentous occasion as I have built a gateway that links this world with the world where we came from, and we shall call forth an army to rule and subjugate each and every one of you pathetic citizens of this godforsaken city! Now, to show all of you a fraction of my army's power…my Worms, eliminate all law enforcement personnel around us!_ "

Nozomi and Mana watched on in horror as explosions erupted from the television screen that they're watching, with the screams of the panicking newscaster being intertwined between them. Onari, Steffi, Minh, and Wind are also watching the footage from behind the two shrine maidens, and while Onari looks on in fear, a look of anger and determination are etched clearly on Steffi, Minh, and Wind.

"Looks like that bastard's made his move already," Steffi gritted her teeth, "Let's go, girls."

Minh and Wind nodded, and they immediately ran out of the room. Steffi followed suit, but not before she whispered something to Onari.

"Tell the maidens that I'm off to take my friends shopping."

Onari nodded. Steffi nodded back as she silently went out of the room as well. Unaware that the three girls has left, Nozomi slowly took out her Y-Gear, making sure that neither Mana or Onari are watching her, before she opened the device's messaging app. Scrolling through the contacts, Nozomi clicked on Krishna's contact, before writing a text message to him.

" _Krishna, this is Nozomi. A huge army of monsters has taken siege of the Wajima District, with its leader calling himself Schwarian. Looks like they're up to something big and it's not good. You've got to stop them!_ "

 **xxx**

As Steffi, Minh, and Wind left the Daitenkuji grounds on their respective motorcycles, a black Mercedes-AMG GT with blue TRON-style lines emblazoned all across its body slowly emerged from the shadows of the thick vegetation surrounding the temple, with the mysterious Honda CBR650F pulling into a stop right next to it. The mysterious man from before hopped off from the motorcycle's passenger seat, before proceeding to enter the car's passenger door. Sitting behind the car's steering wheel is a young woman, aged around 20. She has a rather short figure, white skin, chin-length dark brown hair styled in a bob, and a pair of thick-framed glasses on her face. The young woman is now wearing a yellow T-shirt, blue denim jeans, and white sneakers, complete with a pair of black and electric blue gloves on her hands.

"How's the scouting, Nick?" asked the young woman as the young man sits next to her, "Did it went well?"

"Yeah," Nick, the young man, gave an affirmative nod, "Our client's suspicions were confirmed. His ex-girlfriend is indeed alive."

Nick then hands over his Y-Gear to the young woman, which still displays the photos of Steffi as Ghost fighting. The young woman looked at the photographs, a surprised yet pleased smirk appearing on her face.

"Quite bold of you to do your spying when she's doing her usual sparring routine," the young woman commented, "And you didn't even get caught as well! As I expect from the one and only Nick Gishi."

"Hey, the more dangerous the job, the better," Nick smirked, "By the way I heard she's heading to the Wajima District to deal with a crisis there. Shall we go there as well?"

" _ **I don't think so, Nick**_ ," spoke a computerized voice from a silver colored device on the car's dashboard, a red emoticon-like face appearing from the device's center, " _ **Our mission is to spy on this Pham Vu To Quyen. We are not supposed to interfere with her fights**_."

"But Belt-san…" Nick tried to protest, only for a hand to stick itself into the car, covering Nick's mouth to silence him.

"I'll go," said the owner of the hand, the mysterious rider of the Honda CBR650F, its voice female. The tall and athletic 21-year old rider is wearing a black and blue leather jacket over a black T-shirt, black leather trousers, and black boots. Her features were obscured by the black helmet that she's wearing, but hints of long hair are seen from the back of her helmet.

"Why, Ayano?" asked the young woman.

"This girl interests me," replied the rider, Ayano, "Her powers are almost exactly the same as mine. I should investigate further."

" _ **Ayano, our mission is to spy on her, not to interfere in her fights**_ ," said Belt-san, " _ **You should stay out of this**_."

"I'm still going, Belt-san," Ayano said, revving her motorcycle's engine, "I've ran across her a few times and I've fought her a few times as well before we accepted this mission. And every time we fought, I felt…something. Like…a connection of some sorts. If aiding her is going to answer my questions, then I'll guess I have to do it."

Nick, the young woman, and Belt-san tried to stop Ayano, but the young woman has already sped off with her motorcycle, much to their dismay.

"That Ayano, such a stubborn person," the young woman sighed.

"What should we do now, Belt-san?" asked Nick.

" _ **I guess we have to wait for her then**_ ," replied Belt-san, " _ **Or how about we make a slight detour from our mission? We still have to hunt down that shark Rider for our previous clients**_."

"Fantastic," the young woman grinned.

 **xxx**

Steffi, Minh, and Wind have finally arrived at Wajima District after twenty minutes of riding their motorcycles, only to be greeted with a sight straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Bodies of policemen and wreckages of law enforcement vehicles are scattered all around the district, several buildings are on fire, while a number of Salis Worms, Dustards, and Waste Yummies are seen walking around the district, as if patrolling it.

"What…what happened here?" Wind gasped, the amount of destruction around her is too much for her mind to handle.

"Schwarian happened," Steffi replied, "Bastard must have mobilized his troops to lay waste to this district. We need to go to that warehouse as soon as possible to stop whatever he's planning."

"You have any idea where the warehouse is?" Minh asked.

"The newscaster said that Schwarian's base is located at the eastern side of the district. Our Y-Gears has an in-built compass," Steffi replied again, "So our plan is…"

"…fight our way eastward? Sounds rather reckless, but that's our best bet," Minh continued, taking off her helmet as she places her Genesis Driver around her waist.

"Guess we have not much of a choice," Steffi added, materializing her Ghost Driver as she takes off her helmet as well.

"Time to put our skills to the test, eh Minh?" Wind smirked, taking off her own helmet as she puts on her Genesis Driver.

"Three girls fighting a bunch of bad guys…feels like _Charlie's Angels_ ," Minh commented, taking out her Lemon Energy Lockseed.

"Or _Totally Spies_ ," Steffi commented as well, taking out her Ore Ghost Eyecon.

"Or _She Spies_ ," Wind chuckled, regaining her serious composure seconds afterwards as she took out her Peach Energy Lockseed, "Alright. Less chit-chat, more ass-kicking."

 **LEMON ENERGY!**

 **EYE?**

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

 **LOCK ON!**

 **BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!**

 **LOCK ON!**

" **Henshin!** " Minh, Steffi, and Wind yelled in unison, before they pressed on their Driver's respective levers.

 **SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FI-FI-FI-FI-FIGHT!**

 **KAIGAN! ORE! LET'S GO! KAKUGO! GHO-GHO-GHO-GHOST! GO! GO! GO! GO!**

 **SODA! PEACH ENERGY ARMS!**

Transforming into Kamen Riders Duke, Ghost, and Marika, the three girls grabbed their respective weapons and charged forward, slashing any enemy that came towards them without mercy.

 **xxx**

Meanwhile, inside his warehouse, Schwarian oversees the final touches to his device, a silver, futuristic-looking gate installed at the heart of his warehouse. Several Dustards are seen whipping the captured Minions to build the gate's finishing touches. If Schwarian had a mouth, he would be grinning right now. His decision to capture Wajima District, the district in the city known to harbor hardworking Minions, is the greatest decision that he had made so far. The enslaved Minions would obey anything that he commanded them, thus his gate has been finished quicker than expectation.

'Soon,' Schwarian thought, 'Soon my dimensional gateway will be completed, and the Game Master could bring forth an army of kaijins to cement his position in this city!'

"Master," a monotonous female voice called out to Schwarian. The robotic monster turned around to see a 20-year old Thai girl, with a medium build, white skin, and black chin-length hair styled in a chignon bun. She is now wearing a grey long sleeved shirt, white trousers, and black sandals, along with a silver chain necklace hanging on her neck, "The Minions has finished their preparations. You can fire up the gateway now."

"Excellent," a pleased Schwarian said, before turning his attention towards the Dustard leading the Minion slaves, "Fire up the gateway!"

Before the Dustard could do anything though, a loud explosion was heard from the warehouse's front doors that blew it wide open, shocking everyone there. Running out from the resulting smoke were Ghost, Duke, and Marika, having laid waste to the Salis Worms, Dustards, and Waste Yummies patrolling Wajima District, they are now ready to put Schwarian's schemes to an end once and for all.

"Who the fuck are you?!" growled Schwarian, pointing his curved right claw at the three Riders.

"We're the wrenches in your schemes," Ghost simply answered, "What are you planning to do here in this district?!"

"Glad you asked," Schwarian chuckled evilly, "You see, Wajima District has always been known as a hardworking district, producing potteries and other antique beauties that make everyone gasp in awe. But I have discovered the secret behind the district's success. You see, the inhabitants of this district are Minions, little creatures designed specifically to perform hard work in little time at all. So using their help…"

"By help you mean enslaving them, right?!" Duke interrupted, having noticed several Dustards and Waste Yummies holding chains that shackled several terrified Minions all around the warehouse.

"Smart girl," Schwarian commented, "Anyway, the Game Master needs me to deliver more kaijin here so that his control over this city would be ensured. But the problem is, we have trouble recruiting them one by one. So…I have built this dimensional gateway to summon kaijin from our home universe and use them to turn this district into a kaijin fortress!"

"Not if we have anything to say about that!" exclaimed Ghost.

"Oh well…since you girls have heard too much about my plan…" Schwarian proceeds to clap his claws together, prompting all of the Dustards, Salis Worms, and Waste Yummies around the area to gather in front of him, each of them eager to have a shot at the Riders opposing their leader's plan, "Make sure to leave no remains."

And with that, Schwarian walked away from the scene along with the Dustards and the Waste Yummies carrying the enslaved Minions, leaving the Riders with the huge swarm to deal with. The trio tried to give chase, only for the swarm to block their path, murderous intent can be seen on each of the Dustards, Salis Worms, and Waste Yummies' faces.

"Oh well, looks like we're going to enjoy the appetizer first," Ghost smirked underneath her helmet, "Let's go girls!"

Immediately the three Riders charged into attack, their weapons ready in their hands. The swarm of Dustards, Salis Worms, and Waste Yummies went forward as well, trying their best to use their strength in numbers to attack the Riders, only to find their numbers quickly diminishing thanks to the Riders' quick use of their weapons. Shots and slashes from Duke and Marika's Sonic Arrows as well as Ghost's quick thinking tactic of switching her Gan Gun Saber from Sword Mode and Naginata Mode back and forth in quick succession has managed to whittle down the swarm into three small, easy to handle groups.

 **KAIGAN! MUSASHI! KETTO! ZUBATTO! CHOKENGO!**

Switching to her Musashi Damashii with her Gan Gun Saber in its Nitouryu Mode, Ghost channels Miyamoto Musashi's Niten-ryu katana swordsmanship in using her twin swords to lay waste to the Salis Worms surrounding them, destroying several of them with a slash each, before cornering the last three Salis Worms.

"Now to finish all of you," Ghost said, scanning the hilt of one of her twin swords on her Ghost Driver.

 **DAI KAIGAN!**

Ghost then proceeds to pull her Driver's lever, closing up the device's "eyelids," before pushing the lever back, opening the "eyelids" and sending a surge of energy throughout her body.

 **DAI KAIGAN! MUSASHI OMEGA DRIVE!**

 **GAN GAN MINA! GAN GAN MINA!** **GAN GAN MINA!**

Gripping her swords tightly, Ghost crouched down as energy continues to surge through her body and into the swords, a red version of her chest insignia appearing on her back. With a loud yell, Ghost went for the kill; her swords' blades are ignited with red energy.

 **OMEGA SLASH!**

Ghost slashed one of the Salis Worms with the sword on her left hand horizontally, before performing a vertical slash on another Salis Worm with the sword on her right hand, both Salis Worms exploding the moment the swords' blades made contact with their green skin. Making a 360 degree spin, Ghost then proceeds to slash the last Salis Worm with both swords, utterly destroying the creature instantly, the flames from the resulting explosion leaving behind a smaller version of her chest insignia that vanishes after a few seconds.

 **LOCK ON!**

Having placed her Peach Energy Lockseed on her Sonic Arrow, Marika slowly pulled her bow, charging pink energy into her weapon. The group of Waste Yummies facing Marika braced themselves for the inevitable; ever since the start of the fight the peach Rider had dominated them completely, with most of their Waste Yummies' brethren now reduced into piles of broken Cell Medals thanks to Marika's archery prowess.

"Fire in the hole!" Marika yelled, jumping into the air as she fires her Sonic Arrow.

A large pink energy arrow was released from Marika's Sonic Arrow, which strangely dived straight down into the ground instead of hitting the Waste Yummies. As the creatures looked at each other in confusion, Marika landed on the ground, slowly walking away from the Waste Yummies as she lifted her right arm, snapping her fingers.

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

Suddenly two huge energy peach halves burst out from the ground around the Waste Yummies, startling the creatures as the halves combined with each other into a giant energy peach, trapping the Waste Yummies inside. The peach then exploded in a spectacular manner, obliterating the Waste Yummies and leaving behind a huge pile of broken Cell Medals.

 **LOCK ON!**

With the Dustards surrounding her, Duke places her Lemon Energy Lockseed on her Sonic Arrow, before proceeding to give her weapon's blades a good rub, causing them to glow with yellow energy. Immediately the Dustards went for the offensive, their short swords ready to inflict some damage on Duke, but the lemon Rider sees this as her advantage.

 **LEMON ENERGY!**

Duke quickly performed a 360 degree turn, slashing the blades of her Sonic Arrow through the Dustards surrounding her, creating an energy lemon slice around her. The lemon slice then detonates, reducing the Dustards surrounding Duke into wisps of harmless Cosmic Energy.

After they had finished dealing with their respective opponents, Ghost, Duke, and Marika regrouped with each other before the three of them headed immediately to the heart of the warehouse.

"That was too easy," Marika commented as they ran through the warehouse's corridor.

"Remember, those are just the small fry," Ghost reminded, "We're going for the main course now…"

"Plus we haven't faced Kamen Rider Arc yet," Duke added, "If Arc's really as tough as Steffi said, that means we….holy mother of fuck!"

The three Riders gasped immediately at the sight in front of them. Schwarian's dimensional gate stood proudly, towering over the three Riders facing it. Multiple Dustards and Waste Yummies are seen on platforms around the gate, guarding over the frightened Minions that they had enslaved. Standing in front of his machine is Schwarian himself, a smug look on its robotic face, his blue visor looking at the three Riders in contempt.

"So, you've managed to take out my army," Schwarian said smugly, "But do you really have what it takes to beat me and my personal vanguard?"

"We'll do anything that we can to defeat you!" Ghost exclaimed, pointing a finger at Schwarian, only to get an evil chuckle as a reply.

"Let's say if you can live up to what you have said," Schwarian said, before he lets out a loud whistle.

Stepping out from the shadows of the dimensional gate was the Thai girl from before, a gothic-looking black belt around her waist and a silver mechanical bat with red eyes flying around her. Immediately the moment Ghost, Duke, and Marika saw the girl walking towards them, their heartbeats stopped.

It was someone that they had known all too well from their own world.

"Bieng Jea…" Duke gasped underneath her helmet, "The girl from my Career Office guidance…it can't be!"

"She's also in the university's Taiko team…" added an equally shocked Marika, "The Taiko and Yoshakoi teams often practice together for festival events…and that's how I came to know her…"

"I often see her doing part-time in the cafeteria, she's such a nice and polite girl…" finished Ghost, before she turned her attention towards Schwarian, an angry glare shot out from her helmet, "What have you done to her?!"

"Nothing much," Schwarian chuckled, "I've just turned her into my and the Game Master's devout servant, that's all. Now, Bieng…destroy them for me."

Bieng nodded, her movements slow and robotic, before she spoke out in a monotonous tone that shocked the three Riders, "Yes, master. Arc Kivat."

Heeding to its master's call, Arc Kivat, the silver mechanical bat immediately flew around Bieng's head, letting out a sadistic chuckle as it does so.

" _ **Well, shall we go? Doron doron**_ ," Arc Kivat said as slowly flew towards Bieng's belt buckle, " _ **Henshin!**_ "

Arc Kivat latches itself onto Bieng's belt buckle, hanging upside down as its red eyes glowed. A golden pentagram symbol was released from Arc Kivat's body as Ghost, Duke, and Marika watched on in shock, before the symbol shatters itself into yellow particles that attached themselves onto Bieng's body, forming her armor. As the yellow glow enveloping Bieng dies out, her diabolical looking armor was revealed for the world to see.

Colored predominantly black with a few silver patches thrown in, Bieng's demonic armor had two curved horns that came out from the sides of the helmet, resembling the horns of the Devil himself, while her eyes resembled bat wings, sickly yellow in color. A large, toothy mouth is seen on the chest of Bieng's armor, being bound shut by a pair of silver chains crossed over each other. Gold is engraved on the ankles and wrists, while a blue gem rests on the forehead.

The formidable Kamen Rider Arc lets out a heavy breathing noise as she slowly approaches Ghost, Duke, and Marika, murderous intent can be seen coming out from her eyes.

"This is Kamen Rider Arc?" Duke asked as she and the other Riders braces themselves for the inevitable fight, "I could have sworn that you said that she's bigger than this, Steffi."

Suddenly Arc stopped, both her yellow eyes and Arc Kivat's red eyes glowing fiercely as the forehead gem glowed as well. Letting out a demonic roar, Arc slowly grew in size, towering over the three Riders in front of her.

"You just had to open that big mouth of yours, Minh," Marika facepalmed in dismay.

"Well…shit," Duke gulped.

"Don't give up just yet, girls," Ghost said, gripping onto her twin swords, "We can still win!"

"Right!" both Duke and Marika yelled in unison.

The three Riders immediately charged into battle, their weapons ready in hand. But just as Duke and Marika leapt up to strike the towering Arc on her knees, a blue energy blast suddenly struck Ghost who was about to do the same thing, bringing her down to the ground.

"Steffi!" Duke called out, only for Arc's humongous right leg to kick her aside, a punch sending Marika toppling to the ground as well.

Schwarian laughed as he slowly walked up next to Arc, having fired that blast from his right claw, "I hope you girls aren't forgetting about me as well!"

"Damn you," Ghost cursed as she slowly stood up, taking out the Edison Ghost Eyecon, "Let's hope your robotic body can tolerate some shock therapy!"

 **EYE? BATCHIRIMINA! KAIGAN! EDISON! EREKI! HIRAMEKI! HATSUMEI-O!**

Now in her Edison Damashii with the Gan Gun Saber in its Gun Mode, Ghost took aim at Schwarian, firing several bolts of electricity which the robotic fiend managed to dance around it. In retaliation, Schwarian fired several more of his energy blasts, but Ghost easily counters it with bolts of electricity from her Gan Gun Saber.

Meanwhile, Duke and Marika are trying their best to avoid Arc's kicks, with each swipe from the demonic Rider's huge leg blowing up clouds of dust that hampered Duke and Marika's line of sight. With the Dustards and Waste Yummies cheering for their colossal champion, Duke decided to take a swipe on Arc's chest mouth, leaping towards it with her Sonic Arrow in hand. Arc however had other plans, and easily swatted Duke away like a fly.

"Minh!" Marika called out, before gritting her teeth in anger at Arc, "Damn you…"

Marika quickly fired several arrows from her Sonic Arrow at Arc's torso, but being the humongous Rider that she is the arrows did nothing but tickle her. In retaliation, Arc bent down, performing a hook punch with her right fist that sends Marika flying.

Ghost and Schwarian are still exchanging fire, neither of their blasts or bolts giving them the advantage in their fight. Deciding to switch to close combat, Schwarian swiped his right claw at Ghost, which the silver and yellow Rider managed to dodge in the nick of time, before she tries to land a punch on Schwarian's face, only for the robot to block it with his left claw. The two combatants then proceed to grapple with each other for a few seconds, before punching each other on their faces that sends them stumbling back a bit.

 **DAI KAIGAN! EDISON OMEGA DRIVE!**

Ghost crouched down, electrical energy surging through her body as a yellow eye insignia charged with electricity appeared behind her.

"My life…is burning bright!" Ghost exclaimed.

With a huge leap into the air, Ghost immediately assumes a flying front kick position, the electricity surging throughout her body now channeled to her extended right boot. Unfortunately for Ghost, Schwarian saw the incoming Rider Kick and immediately he crossed his arms, creating a black energy barrier that protected him from the kick.

"What the?!" Ghost gasped.

Schwarian immediately threw his arms apart, causing the barrier to repel Ghost away from him, sending the Rider crashing to the ground.

"Is that the best that you got?" Schwarian laughed as Ghost struggled to stand up.

Having stomped Marika into submission seconds before, Arc grabbed Duke with her right hand, punching the lemon Rider repeatedly on the head with her left fist, each punch felt like an SUV impacting against her head for Duke. After finishing toying with Duke, Arc tossed her aside like garbage, energy surging into her forehead gem as she fires a bullet of energy towards the weakened Rider.

'Is this it?' Duke thought as she tried to stand up in order to avoid the incoming bullet, the sheer pain raging through her body preventing her to do so, 'Am I finished here?'

 **COME ON! BANANA SPARKING!**

Suddenly a huge wall of yellow energy bananas burst out of the ground, preventing the bullet from harming Duke. The bananas then deflected the bullet away from Duke, creating a huge hole on the warehouse wall instead.

Duke slowly stood up, grateful that she's still alive but also puzzled on who had saved her. It is not until she had regained her footing did she have a full view of the person who had saved her.

It was Kamen Rider Baron, standing proudly and valiantly in front of Duke, his Banaspear firmly planted on the ground. The banana Rider slowly looked back towards Duke.

"Are you okay?" Baron asked in a voice all too familiar for Duke, "Minh?"

"Krishna?" Duke gasped as she recognized the voice of her savior, "Is that you?"

Baron nodded slowly, "And I'm not the only one here."

Baron slowly stepped aside, allowing Duke to see Kamen Rider Idunn helping Marika back to her feet, the apple Rider having knocked down Arc with a slash from her Sword Bringer during her entrance.

"Hey Minh," Idunn said after she had helped Marika, "Long time no see."

"Two?" Duke gasped again in disbelief, "You're…"

"…a Kamen Rider too?" Idunn finishes as she and Marika regrouped with Duke and Baron, "Yeah. So is Krishna."

"Glad you guys are alright!" Duke smiled underneath her helmet, immediately embracing a surprised Baron in a hug, "I'm worried sick because of you guys!"

Marika smiled sadly underneath her helmet, in one hand she's glad that Krishna and Two are alright, but on the other hand, she's still concerned about Linh. Her whereabouts are still unknown until now.

"Man, it's glad to see some new faces here to help us," Ghost said as she slowly approaches the four Riders, reverting back to Ore Damashii as she offers her hand to Idunn, "Pham Vu To Quyen, Kamen Rider Ghost. But you can call me Steffi."

"Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh, Kamen Rider Idunn. Just call me Two," Idunn accepted Ghost's hand, giving her a handshake, "You're from Vietnam too, right? Why didn't I know you?"

"Different batch," replied Ghost, "My group came a few days after yours. By the way, who's your friend?"

"He's Krishna Sadhana, Kamen Rider Baron," Idunn replied as Duke and Baron had broken their embrace, now the two Riders are holding hands, "He's from Indonesia."

"How did you two found us?" Duke asked.

"Well, we have been investigating Schwarian's case as well since a few days ago," Baron replied, releasing his hold on Duke's hands as he grabbed his Banaspear, "Good thing Two's Rider Alert app gave your location to us."

"BANANA! BANANA! BANANA! BANANA!"

Suddenly a high-pitched chanting noise echoed throughout the warehouse. Baron looked around to see the enslaved Minions, now regaining hope by his and Idunn's arrival, are chanting his armor's motif, much to the annoyance of the Dustards and Waste Yummies keeping them in line. Smiling underneath his helmet, Baron waved at the Minions, thanking them for their support.

"Don't worry guys!" Baron exclaimed, "We will free you in no time!"

"Damn you!"

The five Riders immediately assumed their fighting stances as Schwarian slowly walked up towards them, a recovered Arc walking alongside him. Clearly the two villains are displeased by the turn of events.

"I have my own backup too!" Schwarian exclaimed, whistling loudly to signal all of the Dustards and Waste Yummies around him to jump down their respective platforms, forming a huge army around their master and Arc, "Now, try to fight your way out of this!"

 **KAIGAN! SPECTER! READY GO! KAKUGO! DOKI DOKI GHOST!**

Suddenly a black blur appeared out of nowhere, the blur smashing into several of the Dustards and Waste Yummies on the frontline, destroying them instantly much to the shock of both Schwarian and Arc. The black blur stopped in front of the five Riders, revealing that yet another Kamen Rider has joined the fight, much to the shock of everyone.

"Who's that?" Baron asked, "I've never seen that Rider before…"

"Neither do I," added Idunn, while Duke and Marika shook their heads.

Ghost, in the other hand, seems to know something about this new Rider.

"Specter…" Ghost muttered slowly.

Kamen Rider Specter looked almost identical to Ghost in her Ore Damashii form, but with electric blue replacing the orange on Ghost's armor. The lines on Specter's bodysuit are also electric blue in coloration, resembling electrocardiogram lines, while the eye insignia on Specter's chest has two wisps instead of Ghost's one. Specter's mask is electric blue in color, with a black menacing mark resembling butterfly wings engraved on it, while two horns are seen sticking out of the forehead part.

"Yo, long time no see, Ghost," Specter said in a female voice, Ayano's voice to be exact, "Don't worry, I'm not here to fight you."

"Then why are you here?" Ghost asked.

"My Eyecon said that I should assist you with this," Specter replied stoically, "And you know I always follow what my Eyecon says to me."

"Looks like the party's getting merrier," Idunn commented, "Alright, let's do this. The new guy and I will take on the cannon fodders, Baron and Ghost will take on Arc, while Duke and Marika will take on Schwarian. How's that?"

"Fair enough," Duke nodded.

"I'll just follow your lead," Specter said, cracking her fists together.

Baron remains strangely silent, much to everyone's surprise.

"Krishna? Is there something wrong?" Idunn asked.

"Nothing," Baron shrugged his shoulders, before promptly pointing at Arc, "Except how the fuck are you going to expect us to fight such a behemoth!"

Idunn chuckled, taking out the Suika Lockseed and throwing it at Baron, "Use this. I got this from our mysterious informant when he gave us this case. You've watched _Gaim_ before, right? Then you should know how that can help you."

Baron looked at the newly received Suika Lockseed, trying to remember what it does, before he realized what Idunn has meant. Smiling underneath his helmet, Baron nodded, knowing what he needs to do.

"Alright then. Everyone….let's do this!" Idunn exclaimed.

 **(Cue BGM: Never Surrender – TEAM BARON)**

Immediately the Riders charged forward towards their opponents, with the exception of Baron and Ghost. Baron took off his Banana Lockseed, causing his Banana Armor Part to disintegrate into yellow motes of light, leaving him in his Ride Wear. He then proceeds to unlock the Suika Lockseed.

 **SUIKA!**

A huge Crack opens up near Ghost, startling the black and orange Rider as a gigantic mechanical watermelon suddenly descended down from it, colored green with black stripes.

"Holy fuck!" Ghost gawked upon the sight of the Suika Armor Part, "That thing's huge!"

Baron places his Suika Lockseed on his Sengoku Driver, securing it into place.

 **LOCK ON!**

He then quickly slices the Lockseed open with his Cutting Blade.

 **COME ON! SUIKA ARMS! ODAMA BIG BANG!**

The Suika Armor Part immediately dropped itself to the ground, startling Ghost even more, before it rolled its way towards Baron, who leaped up into the air, entering the Armor Part from a slot located on top of it.

 **YOROI MODE!**

The Suika Armor Part immediately unfolds itself, transforming into a huge watermelon-themed knight, armed with a lance that resembled a watermelon slice. Glimpses of Baron's Ride Wear are seen from the gaps between the armor, while the Rider's head is hidden in a watermelon-themed helmet, with a yellow crest that resembles a watermelon slice on the forehead and a red visor that also resembles a watermelon slice.

"Everyone!" Baron yelled at the unguarded Minions standing at the platform, "You're free now! Run out through that giant hole on the wall!"

Cheering at their newly declared freedom, the Minions broke through their shackles before they ran out of the warehouse through the hole that Arc's energy bullet had created earlier, chanting happily as they left.

"Wait!" Schwarian yelled, pointing his right claw at the fleeing Minions, "You're not supposed to leave this place!"

"Shut up!" Duke yelled back, punching the robotic kaijin right on his face to silence him.

Pleased at the Minions' newfound liberation, Baron Suika Arms immediately leapt into battle; his massive armor makes him on par with the already humongous Arc.

"Incredible…" Ghost muttered as Baron grappled with Arc, before she realizes something, "Hey! Now how the Hell am I supposed to fight Arc?"

"Yuhuuu!"

Ghost turned around to see Yurusen coming towards him, the spirit riding a huge black and green iguana, "Yurusen!"

"Meet the Iguana Ghostriker," Yurusen said as she came to a stop next to Ghost, "I've used your motorcycle to make this. I hope this'll help you."

"Wow!" Ghost smiled as she took over the controls from Yurusen, "Thanks!"

As Baron slashed Arc with his lance, the Iguana Ghostriker joined in the fun as well, head-butting the demonic Rider to knock her on her back.

"Nice…er….lizard," Baron commented rather uneasily.

"Thanks," Ghost replied, "Nice armor as well."

Meanwhile, Idunn and Specter had an easy time against the Dustards and Waste Yummies, with Idunn using her Sword Bringer to lay waste to them, while Specter uses a light blue and yellow rod-like weapon with a hand-like feature on its tip, the Gan Gun Hand, to fend off the enemies around her.

"Time to up the ante," Specter said, taking out a turquoise Ghost Eyecon, pressing it's side button to cause the object's iris and pupil to roll out and to be replaced with the code **11** written in white. She then proceeds to take out her electric blue and black Specter Eyecon from her Ghost Driver, before inserting the new turquoise one.

 **EYE?**

A turquoise Egyptian vest was ejected from Specter's Ghost Driver, hovering around the Rider to the tune of the Driver's standby noise.

 **BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!**

Specter quickly pushes on her Driver's lever, causing the Driver's "eyelids" to open up, revealing a turquoise circle with a pair of black sickles on it.

 **KAIGAN! TUTANKHAMUN! PYRAMID WA SANKAKU! OKE NO SHIKAKU!**

The Egyptian vest descended down, fusing with Specter's bodysuit as a turquoise mask with black sickles on it is created on the bodysuit's faceplate, a pharaoh's robe colored turquoise and golden is worn regally around the helmet. Having completed her transformation into her Tutankhamun Damashii, Specter grabbed her Gan Gun Hand, causing the cobra-themed mobile phone from before, the Mobile Cobra, to creep up the weapon, transforming into a sickle blade that the Gan Gun Hand's hand feature held on tightly.

Now better suited for close combat, Specter slashed her way through the Dustards and Waste Yummies surrounding her, quickly catching up her kill count with Idunn's. Within minutes, most of Schwarian's army has been decimated, leaving a select few Dustards and Waste Yummies left for the Riders to use their special attacks on them.

 **COME ON! RINGO SQUASH!**

Specter scanned the eye insignia on her Gan Gun Hand's hilt on her Ghost Driver.

 **DAI KAIGAN!**

 **GAN GAN MIRO! GAN GAN MIRO! GAN GAN MIRO!**

White energy swirled into the blade of the Sword Bringer as turquoise energy surges through the blade of the Gan Gun Hand, supercharging the weapons within seconds. Both Idunn and Specter slashed their respective weapons at their opponents, and while Idunn's Sword Bringer releases a large energy slash that destroys the Dustards and Waste Yummies on her side, Specter's slash instead creates a large golden triangle with the Eye of Providence etched on it, the triangle phasing through the Dustards and Waste Yummies facing Specter before planting itself on the air behind them. The triangle's Eye of Providence opens up, revealing a black hole that sucked in all of the Dustards and Waste Yummies, before Specter presses on the trigger of her Gan Gun Hand.

 **OMEGA FANG!**

The triangle's Eye of Providence closes up; causing the Dustards and Waste Yummies that has been sucked into the eye to be utterly obliterated.

As the triangle disappears, Idunn and Specter posed victoriously, having finished their part of the battle.

Back to Baron and Ghost, the former had converted his Suika Arms armor into its flying Gyro Mode configuration, while Ghost commanded her Iguana Ghostriker to struck Arc on her chest with its tail, knocking the gigantic Rider back for a few seconds, before the Iguana Ghostriker charges forward, sinking its jaws onto Arc's right arm. As the demonic Rider wailed in pain, the Iguana Ghostriker tossed Arc upwards, where Baron fires a salvo of seed-like bullets from the fingertips of his Suika Arms armor. The bullets struck Arc hard, causing an explosion that knocks the demonic Rider back on the ground.

" _ **You pesky humans!**_ " Arc Kivat growled as Arc slowly stood up, a whistle-like device on her right hand, the Rider's Wake Up Fuestle, " _ **I'm going to personally send you all to Hell myself!**_ "

Arc places the Wake Up Fuestle on Arc Kivat's mouth, allowing the mechanical bat to play with it.

 **WAKE UP!**

Arc threw her arms apart as the chains on her chest shatters, the toothy mouth on Arc's chest opening up to revealing a hellish-looking portal, ready to suck both Ghost and Baron to the deep fiery depths of Hell. Undeterred by this, both Ghost and Baron faced Arc, the latter having changed his Suika Arms back to its Yoroi Mode, preparing to pull off their special attacks as well.

Baron sliced his Lockseed once.

 **COME ON! SUIKA SQUASH!**

Meanwhile, Ghost pulled and pushed the lever on her Ghost Driver four times.

 **DAI KAIGAN! ORE OMEDAMA!**

Baron gripped his lance tightly, a red energy projection of his watermelon slice-themed lance appearing on the tip of the weapon, as Ghost jumped into the air, a giant energy version of her Ore Eyecon appearing.

"Take this!" Baron yelled.

"Eat this!" added Ghost.

Baron thrusts his energized lance onto Arc's chest portal several times, as Ghost performed an overhead kick, kicking the giant Eyecon at Arc's chest portal as well. The two attacks collided against Arc's chest portal, resulting in a huge explosion that knocks Arc's massive frame towards Schwarian's dimensional gate. Letting out a loud wail of pain, Arc collapses on top of the gate, destroying the device in a huge explosion that engulfs Arc's body as well.

 **(BGM ends)**

"My gate! My plans!" Schwarian cried in dismay upon the destruction of his dimensional gate, "My enforcer!"

"Stay focused on the fight, bastard!" both Duke and Marika yelled in unison, punching Schwarian on the face at the same time.

 **(Cue BGM: Raise your flag – MAN WITH A MISSION)**

Schwarian stumbled back, trying to regain his bearings, only for Duke to perform an uppercut on his chin, Marika following suit with a slash to the chest. The two Riders mercilessly attacked Schwarian, not giving the robotic kaijin any chance to retaliate, as Duke grabbed Schwarian and hoisted him over her shoulder, performing the same "Attitude Adjustment" move that she did with Ghost earlier, slamming Schwarian onto the ground.

Marika followed up swiftly by grabbing Schwarian by the head, kicking the robot on the chest once before firing a couple of arrows at him. But much to the peach Rider's dismay, Schwarian crossed his arms again, creating the same black energy barrier that nullifies Ghost's Rider Kick earlier to protect himself from the arrows.

"Let me have a shot," Duke said, aiming her already charged Sonic Arrow at Schwarian, the Lemon Energy Lockseed already installed on it.

 **LEMON ENERGY!**

The same energy drill that pierced Ghost earlier was fired, but like Ghost's kick and Marika's arrows before it, the energy barrier protected Schwarian from Duke's special attack.

"How about we fire our weapons in unison?" Marika asked as she places her Peach Energy Lockseed on her Sonic Arrow, "Maybe that'll break the barrier!"

"Couldn't hurt to try," Duke replied, aiming her Sonic Arrow at Schwarian once again.

 **LOCK ON!**

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

 **LEMON ENERGY!**

Both Marika and Duke fired their weapons, their energy arrows combining with each other to form a pink and yellow energy spiral that headed straight towards Schwarian. Instead of being intimidated by the incoming attack, Schwarian crosses his arms again, creating the barrier once again. Much to Marika and Duke's dismay, the energy spiral could only hit the barrier before disappearing, leaving Schwarian unharmed. But Duke saw this as an opportunity.

"Wind, I have a plan," Duke said, "I'm going to grab Schwarian's arms from behind because I think that's the source of his barrier powers. And then you will fire your own weapon at him."

"Are you sure about this Minh?" Marika asked, "The resulting explosion could hit you!"

"I'll be alright," Duke smiled underneath her helmet, "I'll kick Schwarian away from me the moment your arrow hits."

Marika paused for a while, but Duke gave her a reassuring pat to the shoulder. The two Riders then exchanged nods, before Duke charged forward, her Sonic Arrow in hand with the Lemon Energy Lockseed already back on her Genesis Driver.

Duke immediately slashed Schwarian twice on the chest, before turning around, ditching her Sonic Arrow as she grabbed both of Schwarian's arms and pinned them against his back with her left hand, while her right arm is wrapped around the robot's neck, placing Schwarian in a chokehold.

"Wind! Now!" Duke yelled.

Slowly aiming her Sonic Arrow at Schwarian due to slight hesitation, Marika took a deep breath as she charged pink energy into her bow weapon. The red crosshair from Marika's Sonic Arrow appears on Schwarian's torso, with Marika aiming the weapon at the robot's left chest, straight through his heart.

'Here I go,' Marika thought.

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

Marika fires a large pink energy arrow from her Sonic Arrow and seconds before the arrow meets its target, Duke released her chokehold, kicking Schwarian on the back. Without time to set up his barrier, the arrow pierced through its target, causing Schwarian to let out an ear-splitting cry of pain as the arrow explodes, damaging his chest.

"Now to finish you off!" Duke exclaimed, pushing her Driver's Seaboll Compressor once.

 **SODA! LEMON ENERGY SQUASH!**

Duke's visor glowed yellow, prompting several copies of herself to appear all around the weakened Schwarian. The copies slashed Schwarian several times with their Sonic Arrows, before surrounding the robotic kaijin in a circle, all of them aiming their Sonic Arrows at him. As the real Duke rubs the blades of her Sonic Arrow to charge it with yellow energy, the copies fired their Sonic Arrows in unison, firing beams of yellow energy that weakens Schwarian even further, before they disappeared altogether. Before Schwarian could react, the real Duke leaped forward, grabbing the fiend's head with her left hand to force him to his feet before using the Sonic Arrow on her right hand to slice through Schwarian's throat.

 **(BGM ends)**

A few seconds of silence ensues, before a loud crack and a weak groan was heard. Schwarian's head slowly slides off his shoulders, Duke's final attack completely decapitating him. Sparks flew from the stump on Schwarian's neck as the body collapses, joining its severed head on the ground.

Duke slowly turned around, breathing heavily as she lets out a sigh of relief upon the sight of Schwarian's beheaded corpse.

"We did it…we finally did it…"

 **xxx**

As the Minions thanked the now de-transformed Riders for freeing them from their slavery, Ayano Hirano stood silently against the now abandoned warehouse's walls, a small smirk appearing on her face.

"Till we meet again, Ghost," Ayano said silently as the tall, long-haired beauty puts on her helmet, before she sets off on her Honda CBR650F, the Machine Hoodie.

After all of the Minions has left to their respective homes, Krishna, Two, Minh, Wind, and Steffi stood face-to-face, the former two facing the latter three.

"So Histoire sent you two to pick these two girls up, right?" Steffi asked.

Two nodded, "Yes. We were tasked by Histoire to recover our friends in order to survive together as a group."

"Well Histoire also tasked me the same thing," Steffi chuckled, "But at least until you two arrive here."

"Thank you so much for taking care of us," Minh said, shaking Steffi's hand as Wind playfully embraces her, "Tell Onari and the maidens that we say goodbye, okay?"

Steffi lets out a smile, "You're welcome girls. Until our paths crosses again…but I don't know whether we're still allies or not by then."

"Don't worry," Krishna smiled as Minh and Wind joined him and Two, "We're fellow APU students, right? I believe we should watch each other's backs."

"Well said, brotha," Steffi said, "Well then, it's time for me to go then. See ya later, Wind. And I'll see you later, Minh-chan."

Steffi winked playfully at Minh, causing the latter to blush slightly, before she hops onto her Machine Ghostriker, riding away into the sunset.

"She thinks you're cute," Krishna teased, causing Minh to blush even more.

"EEEHHHHH? Krishna, you're kidding right? She's just winking at me as a friend! You know that I'm straight, right?"

"Hey, I'm just teasing ya," Krishna laugh, "But to be honest, you do look cute."

"KRISHNAAAAAAAA!"

 **xxx**

"Looks like those two have gained new allies."

Having watched the battle between the Riders and Schwarian's forces from the safety of an adjacent building, Nick Killian and David Hernandez walked down the streets of Wajima District, now slowly coming back to life with the Minions fixing their homes. The two Dark Riders has been spying on Krishna and Two for a while, trying to formulate a plan to defeat the two Riders, only to find out that they had gained new allies – which means that they're getting stronger.

"Should we ask for Yugane's help?" David spoke again, "Maybe his money could give us the leverage that we need. He does also have a strong connection with the other Dark Riders."

"Nope!" Nick scoffed, "Not at all. I'm not going to work together with that golden bastard."

"Huh, suit yourself ese, I'm only giving you some advice," David sighed, "Sooner or later we're gonna need his help."

Nick tried to spoke again, but suddenly his ears heard the sounds of slight groaning coming out from a nearby alley, causing him to stop.

"Nick, what's wrong?" asked David.

"There's someone in that alley," Nick replied, the Australian slowly heading towards the alleyway, "I'm going to investigate."

"I'm coming with you," David said, the Mexican American following his friend into the alleyway.

Nick quickly tracked down the groans towards a pile of cardboard boxes stacked unevenly against a nearby wall, prompting the man to quickly remove the pile from whoever's underneath it. And to his and the newly arrived David's surprise, they found an injured Bieng lying underneath the cardboard boxes, her body bruised and bleeding from the beating that she'd received.

"It's that giant Rider from before…" Nick muttered, knowing that the girl in front of him is a fellow Dark Rider, "Did Baron and Idunn do this to you?"

Bieng nodded weakly.

"Those bastards," Nick gritted his teeth in anger, before turning his attention towards David, "David, help me here mate, let's bring her to somewhere safe."

David nodded and he quickly helped Nick in hoisting the injured Bieng, taking her away from the alleyway.

 **xxx**

Meanwhile, at another side of Tokusat City, a brown Kamen Rider was thrown against a wall, having received the full brunt of its opponent's finishing attack. The Rider was based on gazelle, with a silver helmet and a dark brown-black armor; a pair of golden curved horns is seen on the sides of its head as well as on its shoulder pads, while a golden face of a gazelle with red eyes is present on the Rider's right knee. The Rider lets out a defeated sigh as its Advent Deck slides out from the V-Buckle around its waist, the Advent Deck dark brown in color with a golden gazelle head symbol on it.

The Rider's armor broke away, revealing an 18 year old young woman with an athletic build with light brown skin and short, light brown hair. She is now wearing a brown hoodie, torn up blue denim jeans, black sneakers, and a black and yellow bandana on her head.

Haruka Kumashiro breathed heavily, defeated and humiliated as she slowly grabbed her Advent Deck, her eyes fixed on the one who had defeated her.

Standing in front of Haruka is a white Kamen Rider, based on a muskmelon as well as a Japanese samurai, with light green armor on the chest and shoulders, a pair of dull gold curved horns on the helmet, a dull gold visor, and a Sengoku Driver around its waist, its Rider Indicator displaying a white Japanese samurai helmet. On the Rider's left hand was a green, muskmelon-themed shield; while on its right hand was a black and yellow katana with a gun on its hilt.

The Rider slowly approaches Haruka, pointing its katana at the young woman.

"Kamen Rider Imperer," the Rider spoke in a female voice, "You're weak. You don't deserve to fight with me. Now get out of my sight."

Haruka nodded begrudgingly as she took her leave.

After Haruka had left, the Rider slowly closes up the green Lockseed on her Sengoku Driver, causing her armor to disappear in motes of green light. She then slowly brings up a slightly torn up photograph to her face, her breathing heavy as she tries to contain her emotions.

'Sunny…I will do anything to avenge you…'

 **xxx**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **xxx**

 **A/N: And that's it! The fifth chapter of the first arc of the Kamen Rider War Side Stories. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Sorry for the long wait, college assignments, tests, and mid-terms are really swamping my schedule, forcing me to put this story on hold for a while. And I'm also facing my final exams for the first quarter of the semester, so I won't be starting Chapter 6 in a while. Wish me luck, guys! And I hope the wait for this chapter is worth it, because this is easily the longest, most action packed chapter I've done for this story. The action's so good; I didn't even bother to split it into two parts like usual! Plus I'm showing off five new Riders in this chapter even though only three transformed - Bieng Jea (Kamen Rider Arc), Ayano Hirano (Kamen Rider Specter), Nguyen Minh Trang (Kamen Rider Dark Drive, she's the young woman who drives the NEXTridoron), Haruka Kumashiro (Kamen Rider Imperer) as well as Gadget the Critic's Nick Gishi (Kamen Rider Savior), who I cameo to celebrate the newly released Gaim Gaiden 2! Also appearing in this chapter are the Minions of the _Despicable Me_ franchise and Mana Tatsumiya of _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ fame. Our next chapter will be a focus story on everyone's favorite white Armored Rider and her struggles in Tokusat City, and I'm going to kill off a Rider in it! So stay tuned and don't forget to leave your reviews!**

 **This is maxpower02 signing off!^_^**


	6. Chan and Sunny (Death of a Sisterhood)

**A/N: 'Sup everyone? maxpower02 here, I'm done with my finals for the first quarter of fall semester, and I'm going to bring to you guys Chapter 6 of Kamen Rider War Side Stories Arc 1: The Chaos Insurgency! As usual, I'm going to start things off with replying the reviews my beloved readers has sent to me! I have three new reviews from Kamen rider Lord, Gadget the Critic, and AdamJY, and I'm really thankful for their positive reviews! For Kamen rider Lord, funny that you mention about Yutaka Kobayashi's Unperfected World being the ending theme for the planned OOO side story, since it is going to be the ending of this side story as well, what a coincidence lol. To Gadget, thank you once again for allowing me to use Nick Gishi and to show my gratitude I'm going to cameo two more of your OCs here…plus you mentioned about why Nick and his friends are rivals with the Chaos Insurgency and my friend, one of the reasons is going to be in this chapter (and the chapter after it!). To AdamJY, good luck with your Haila side story and I'm looking forward to reading it! Just tell me when it's done and where do you upload it and I'll spare some time to read it!**

 **Now, regarding Chapter 6. Anyone saw Gaim Gaiden Knuckle? No one? Well I had and I can say that a few aspects on this chapter are going to be slightly similar to it, just to warn you guys before you sue me for being "unoriginal" lol xDD. After having a 3** **rd** **person point of view on Chapter 5, Chapter 6 will revert back into a first person point of view story, being told from the perspective of none other than Tran Ngo "Chan" Thuy Trang (with a slight switch to a 3** **rd** **person view in the middle of the story) and another slight warning from me – some of the action in this chapter are bloodier and gorier than the rest of the chapters in this story and be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster because I'm going to kill off a Rider in this chapter!**

 **P.S. I strongly recommend you to read NecroGod's Kamen Rider War before you read this. Otherwise you wouldn't get the story :p**

 **Alright, without further ado, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any other series that I crossover.**

 **xxx**

"Argh!"

A green armored warrior was thrown onto the ground, groaning in pain as it lands on its right shoulder on the cold pavement. The warrior had red accents on its green chest armor as well as its green gauntlets and shin-guards, while golden armor covers the shoulder pads, a red spike sticking out from right shoulder. A red loincloth is wrapped around the warrior's waist, while a green skirt with golden highlights is also worn around the warrior's waist, held together by a bronze belt. The belt's buckle was colored in a deep purple, circular in shape and with a pinkish symbol engraved to it, the symbol resembling three flower petals. The warrior's helmet is black in color, lacking any eyes, visor, or mouth-guard whatsoever, but with a two-toned ornamental decoration engraved on the facial area, colored green on the left and red on the right. A pair of curved horns are seen sticking out from the sides of the helmet, with the red left horn being significantly longer than the green right one, while a small bronze ornament resembling a demon's face is engraved on the warrior's forehead.

Kamen Rider Kabuki breathed heavily as it slowly stood up, despite lacking any eyes or visor, one can sense the angry glare that the warrior is giving out to its opponent who had just thrown it to the ground a few seconds ago.

"Jack!" a female voice called.

Kabuki slowly turned around to see another armored warrior running towards it, colored mostly aqua blue and themed after a grasshopper with silver and black patches on the armor and yellow eyes, a black belt with a circular silver buckle with an aqua blue center is present around the second warrior's waist.

"Lily," Kabuki spoke in a male voice as the second warrior, Kamen Rider Aqua, catches up to him, "This guy's one tough fish, huh?"

Aqua nodded, "Even with the two of us fighting together, he's still too strong for us, as expected from such an experienced fighter in this war."

"You losers done talking?"

Kabuki and Aqua turned their attention towards their opponent, a light blue shark-themed warrior with a large shark-shaped gauntlet on the left arm and a shark-themed helmet with multiple gill slit-like visors, a V-Buckle with a teal blue Advent Deck with a golden shark symbol on it is present around the warrior's waist.

"Can't believe I'm wasting 15 minutes fighting you losers," the warrior, Kamen Rider Abyss, continued, his tone condescending, "But then again…a slow and painful execution is better than a quick one."

Abyss slowly took out a card from his Advent Deck, chuckling maniacally as he displayed the card for both Kabuki and Aqua to see, the card depicting his shark symbol against a teal blue background.

"Time for you two to burn in Hell," Abyss said, inserting the card into his shark-shaped gauntlet, called the Abyss Visor.

 **FINAL VENT!**

A huge splash was heard as a huge mechanical gunmetal and light blue shark jumped out of a large lake near the three Riders, its yellow eyes extending out from its sockets to reveal a pair of machine guns hidden within them, giving out an illusion of a hammerhead shark's head. The shark immediately flew towards Abyss, floating next to its master.

"Abyssodon, make sure to leave no remains," Abyss said to his Contract Monster.

Letting out a roar as a sign of obedience to its master, Abyssodon immediately opened fire at both Kabuki and Aqua, peppering the two Riders in heavy gunfire that covered them in a huge explosion. Abyss lets out a maniacal chuckle as he enjoyed the explosion in front of him, certain that Abyssodon's gunfire has finished off both Kabuki and Aqua. But as the flames died out, Abyss was taken aback by the sight in front of him.

"What the fuck?! It can't be!"

The flames died out to reveal a black Mercedes-AMG GT with blue TRON-style lines emblazoned all across its body, the vehicle relatively unscratched despite receiving the full brunt of Abyssodon's heavy gunfire. The car then slowly turned around, facing both Abyss and his Contract Monster as two holographic turrets materializes on its bonnet, before it proceeds to fire several electric blue laser blasts that successfully knock Abyss on his back while at the same time sending Abyssodon retreating back into the lake.

Both Kabuki and Aqua, both unharmed thanks to the Mercedes' sudden appearance, looked on in both disbelief and gratitude as the car's occupants slowly emerged out from the vehicle.

Nick Gishi stepped out from the car's passenger door, a Sengoku Driver present around his waist, its Rider Indicator being replaced by a rectangular indent similar to the ones found on Minh and Wind's Genesis Drivers.

Meanwhile, stepping out from the car's driver side is the bob-haired young woman; a determined look is displayed on her face while an equally determined Belt-san is secured on her waist.

"Hiro Matkuni!" Nick spoke out, pointing at the downed Abyss as he slowly stepped forward, "My name is Nick Gishi and this is my partner, Nguyen Minh Trang. We are from Nexus, an organization dedicated in eradicating the injustices in this world…and our clients would like to have your head."

"Fuck you," Abyss spat out as he slowly stood up, "You…you've interrupted my hunt. But it doesn't matter. I've had it with those losers and you guys looked strong. Entertain me and I promise you…you will savor your deaths."

"I'd take that challenge gladly," Nick smirked, taking out his pomegranate-themed Lockseed, the Zakuro Lockseed. But he didn't stop there – Nick's left hand then proceeds to take out another Lockseed from his pocket, this time themed after an orange. Colored blood red, it has the code **L.S-07** emblazoned in black on it.

Grabbing a futuristic-looking toy car, colored black with electric blue lines on the front and yellow with red lines on the back from the car's dashboard, Minh Trang turned her attention towards both Kabuki and Aqua, who are still speechless at the sight of their saviors.

"Jack Hireshima and Lily Viffer, I presume?" Minh Trang asked, receiving two nods from both Kabuki and Aqua as a response, "You two can go now. We'll deal with this bully."

"Thank you so much for saving us." Aqua said in gratitude, before she and Kabuki made a quick getaway from the location.

With both Aqua and Kabuki safe and away from the battlefield, Minh Trang quickly twists her toy car, called the Shift Next Special, before inserting the car's black and blue front side on a silver and black brace wrapped on her left wrist by a red strap, the Shift Brace. At the same time, Nick unlocks both of his Lockseeds.

 **ZAKURO!**

 **BLOOD ORANGE!**

" _ **Alright!**_ " exclaimed Belt-san, eager to jump into battle as quickly as possible but still retaining his cool, " _ **Start our mission!**_ "

" **Henshin!** " both Nick and Minh Trang yelled, and while Nick places his Zakuro Lockseed on his Sengoku Driver and his Blood Orange Lockseed on the rectangular indent next to it, Minh Trang quickly pumped her Shift Next Special once.

 **LOCK ON!**

 **DRIVE! TYPE…NEXT!**

Orchestral rock music plays as an electric blue holographic cylinder appeared around Minh Trang, black armor pieces materializing within the cylinder before they attach themselves on the young woman's body.

Meanwhile, having secured his Lockseeds in place, Nick sliced his Zakuro Lockseed once with his Cutting Blade, opening both it and the Blood Orange Lockseed. Strangely enough, no music was heard when Nick installed his Lockseeds onto his Driver.

 **HA! ZAKURO ARMS! KURUIZAKI SACRIFICE! HA! BLOOD ORANGE ARMS! JA NO MICHI ON STAGE!**

A black and silver Ride Wear was materialized around Nick's body as several blood red Armor Part fragments appeared around him, the fragments attaching themselves on the head, chest, and shoulders.

Minh Trang's own transformation has finished, the cylinder has disappeared to reveal a black Rider in Minh Trang's place, electric blue lines are emblazoned on her body while her helmet is completely black in color, with the exception of an electric blue circuit line running along the forehead to meet the silver **R** symbol on the forehead, a blue visor that resembled stylish sunglasses protecting the eyes. An energy tire was formed from the car behind the transformed Minh Trang, before it immediately flew towards her, resting on her upper torso in a diagonal manner with the tire's tread grooves highlighted in yellow and the word **Type Next** is inscribed on the black surface.

Nguyen Minh Trang has transformed into the enforcer from 2035, Kamen Rider Dark Drive!

Nick's armor resembled a disturbing mix between a European knight and a Japanese samurai, whilst the helmet resembled that of a knight's, its completely blood red coloration made it difficult to see its sinister-looking visor which is also blood red in color, blood red bandages are seen hanging from the mouth-guard. The right shoulder armor and chest armor resembled that of a European knight's with a slight similarity to Idunn's Ringo Arms armor, only dyed in a sinister blood red coloration with a few black spots on the chest. The left shoulder armor is radically different than the rest since it resembled a Japanese samurai's, colored blood red with black flame markings on it, and to finish off the Rider's look is a tattered blood red and black cloth hanging over the left thigh region. On Nick's right hand is a blood orange-themed scimitar called the Daidaimaru; while on his left hand is a black and red bow weapon called the Savior Arrow.

Nick Gishi has transformed into the sinister-looking Kamen Rider Savior, ready to dish out punishment to his opponent.

"Bastard!" Abyss cursed, charging forward with a punch only for Savior to welcome the incoming attack with a powerful slash with both of his weapons, sending Abyss stumbling back with a huge shower of sparks coming out from his chest where Savior's weapons had hit him.

Dark Drive took out her own personal weapon, a black dagger/gun hybrid with a silver and blue blade called the Blade Gunner, before charging into battle, firing several rounds that hit the dazed Abyss on the chest, before inflicting even more damage on the shark Rider by slashing him across the torso with the Blade Gunner's dagger blade.

Abys stumbled back, chuckling maniacally as he takes out another card from his Advent Deck with a metallic shark head firing off several bubbles etched on it.

"I have to admit you guys are better than those losers," Abyss chuckled as he inserted the card into his Abyss Visor, "But I'm still going to send you two to Hell!"

 **STRIKE VENT!**

Now armed with a shark head-shaped gauntlet called the Abyssmash, Abyss lets loose with several blasts of explosive bubbles from the weapon, blasting the incoming Dark Drive on the chest and stunning the black and blue Rider. Seeing that his friend is in trouble, Savior quickly went towards Abyss, trying to land a slash with his Daidaimaru only for Abyss to fire a jet of pressurized water from the Abysssmash right on Savior's chest, sending the Armored Rider flying back.

"Hmph, is that what you got?" Abyss taunted as he slowly clamped the jaws of his Abyssmash onto Savior's right shoulder, forcing the Rider to his feet, before a punch from the Abyss Visor was delivered onto Savior's gut, earning a groan of pain from the pomegranate Rider, "Pathetic. I expected more from you."

Tossing Savior aside, Abyss then fired a jet of pressurized water at an incoming Dark Drive, stunning the Rider again before Abyss punched Dark Drive several times on the torso with both the Abyssmash and the Abyss Visor, a swift roundhouse kick to the head finishing off the combo.

Before Abyss could do anything else with the two Riders however, a flying kick suddenly struck Abyss on the head, knocking the shark Rider on the ground. Both Savior and Dark Drive smiled underneath their helmets as they knew that their third member has come to save them.

Kamen Rider Specter landed on the ground confidently, slowly standing up as she cracks her knuckles with Savior and Dark Drive joining her side.

"Ayano, you're late," Savior said.

"Sorry about that," Specter smirked underneath her helmet, "I had to go to Wajima District to deal with the crisis there and thankfully everything's under control. Now, what do we have here?"

"Hiro Matkuni, Kamen Rider Abyss," replied Dark Drive, "Before we were tasked to spy on Pham Vu To Quyen, we were tasked to take out this guy, remember?"

"Ah yes, how can I forgot about that," Specter lets out a brief chuckle, "That's one of our older missions, right? Guess I forgot all about it."

Abyss slowly stood up, an angry growl can be heard coming out of him. He quickly drew out another card from his Advent Deck and inserts it into his Abyss Visor.

 **ADVENT!**

A pair of green shark humanoids jumped out from the lake where Abyssodon had come out earlier, one based on a great white while the other one is based on a hammerhead. The two humanoids then flanked Abyss, ready to serve their master.

"Evening out the odds, eh?" Savior commented, "Well, time for us to put our game faces on. Ladies, prepare your finishers."

Savior sliced his Lockseeds once, while Dark Drive pressed a button on her Shift Brace and Specter pulls the lever on her Ghost Driver once.

 **HA! ZAKURO SQUASH! HA! BLOOD ORANGE SQUASH!**

 **HISSATSU!**

 **DAI KAIGAN!**

Dark Drive pumped her Shift Next Special once as Specter pushes the lever on her Ghost Driver.

 **FULL THROTTLE! NEXT!**

 **SPECTER OMEGA DRIVE!**

The three Riders jumped into the air, assuming flying side kick poses as energy slices of pomegranate and blood orange alternating with each other appearing in front of Savior's boot, while at the same time blue energy surged throughout Dark Drive and Specter's bodies, a huge blue eye insignia appearing from the back of the latter, before the energies were channeled towards the boots of Dark Drive and Specter.

Seeing the incoming Rider Kicks, Abyss immediately rallied his Contract Monsters to defend him from the attacks, hoping that they would lessen the damage that he would receive. And boy he was dead wrong.

Dark Drive's kick plowed through Abyssslasher (the great white-themed monster) while Specter's kick impacted against Abysshammer (the hammerhead-themed monster)'s chest, both Rider Kicks sending both Contract Monsters flying into the air much to Abyss' horror, before the two Contract Monsters crashed into the lake from which they came from in a huge splash.

Abyss didn't have time to react even further though, as Savior's kick came crashing down on his chest, sending him flying as well, but unlike his Contract Monsters, Abyss was thrown against a nearby tree by the impact of the kick, causing his Advent Deck to slide off his V-Buckle as he slumped to the ground, his armor breaking away revealing a 19-year old young man with brown hair and green eyes wearing a teal V-neck sweater underneath a hoodie with a wave pattern, black shorts, and a pair of red sneakers.

A bruised Hiro Matkuni lets out an angry glare at the three Riders standing in front of him as he picked up his Advent Deck, pocketing it as he struggled to stand up.

"I…I won't forget this you bastards!" Hiro cursed as he had finally managed to regain footing, before he proceeds to limp away from the battlefield, defeated and humiliated.

Savior smirked underneath his helmet as Hiro limped away from his sight, pleased that for now Abyss has been dealt with, "I guess we can say…mission accomplished, eh?"

" _ **That's right**_ ," replied Belt-san, " _ **Now, let's shift our focus to our current mission at hand. We need to show the photographs that Nick took at the Daitenkuji to our client, to prove to him that his ex-girlfriend is still alive. Do you have any idea where our client is right now?**_ "

"Well, he usually hangs out at…" Nick was about to finish his sentence when he was cut off by a loud clapping sound, attracting his, Dark Drive (Belt-san included), and Specter's attentions.

Emerging out from a nearby bush is a young woman, aged around 19. She has a medium build with white skin and shoulder length red hair as well as a pair of glasses on her face; right now she is wearing a beige sweater, a black skirt with dark brown leggings, and pink sneakers. Strapped around her waist is a Sengoku Driver, with a yellow belt as opposed to Nick's silver one, an image of a white Japanese samurai helmet is visible on the Rider Indicator.

" _Otsukaresamadeshita_ (good job)," the woman said in fluent Japanese as she approaches the three Riders, a smirk can be seen on her face, "You've defeated Hiro Matkuni, one of the most ruthless Riders in this war. That means you three are strong…"

The young woman then took out a light green melon-themed Lockseed, coded **L.S-04**.

"…but are you strong enough to fight alongside me? Let me test your strength. **Henshin** ," the woman said, hitting the switch on her Melon Lockseed.

 **MELON!**

The woman threw her Lockseed into the air as a Crack opens up above her, a metallic light green muskmelon descending down from it. Quickly the woman catches her Lockseed and places it on her Sengoku Driver.

 **LOCK ON!**

Japanese horagai music was played from the woman's Sengoku Driver as the metallic muskmelon slowly aligned itself with the woman's head, before the woman quickly slices her Lockseed open with her Cutting Blade.

 **SOIYA! MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!**

The metallic muskmelon dropped onto the woman's shoulders, creating a white Ride Wear with dull gold patches on the shoulder while at the same time a Japanese samurai-themed helmet was created within the muskmelon. The muskmelon then folds open, forming the chest, back, and shoulder armors as they snapped themselves onto place, creating a splash of light green energy as a green muskmelon-themed shield was formed on the woman's left hand, the woman's dull gold visor glowing for a few seconds to signal the transformation's completion.

Immediately taking out a black and yellow katana with a gun on its hilt from its holster on her left hip, the woman pointed the weapons at the three Riders in front of her, "I am the one who will slay the moon…Kamen Rider…Zangetsu!"

 _ **My name is Tran Ngo Thuy Trang, 19 years old. People around me call me Chan, but my best friends call me "Cow," probably because of my rather sizeable assets. I'm from Vietnam, the city of Da Nang to be exact, one of the country's most picturesque cities. Just a few days ago, my best friend and I are living the university student life in Japan, but in a matter of a few days, our lives changed forever. We were forced to fight to survive in this "war between Kamen Riders" and in the process…I lost my best friend because of my weakness. Now, I've been traveling around my new home, fighting a lot of Riders to seek the ones strong enough to fight alongside me to avenge my best friend's death, but unfortunately I haven't found any yet. Now, let me tell you the story of how my life has changed so far, all the way from that fateful day…**_

 **xxx**

 _ **KAMEN RIDER WAR – THE SIDE STORIES**_

 **xxx**

 **(Cue Opening: Virtue and Vice – Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas)**

 **(Instrumentals)** _The screen opens to reveal a close-up of Kamen Rider Baron. As the guitar begins to riff, the screen alternates between shots of Baron's gauntlets, chest armor, shoulders, back, and Sengoku Driver, before the drum begins to play with the story title appearing in front of a silhouetted Baron, with silhouettes of Duke and Marika standing on Baron's right side, and silhouettes of Zangetsu and Sigurd standing on Baron's left side. A scream was heard as Baron's silhouette raises his Banaspear and slashes the title, rushing into battle with the other four Riders flanking him._

 **(Don't know what's being misunderstood, missiles flying children getting shot)** _Krishna kicked and punched several Elementary Inves at an empty stage, with white strobe lights flashing as he does so, before it ends with Krishna brandishing his Banana Lockseed at the screen._

 **(Swindles everywhere, people who should be the most loved ones, killing each other)** _Chan and Meika standing back to back with each other in front of an orange screen before they walked in opposite directions as a red line began to split the screen, focusing on the girls' stoic faces before focusing on the Melon Lockseed in Chan's hand and Cherry Energy Lockseed in Meika's, before the line slides itself in a diagonal position and splits the screen open to show Wind relaxing underneath a tree, playing the Peach Energy Lockseed in her hand._

 **(Once you keep an eye off, things get stolen)** _The scene shifts to Minh lying in a rather "suggestive" position in a pool of blood, the camera scrolling up from her legs towards her body before reaching her head, the scene then switches to a close-up of Minh's face, her expressionless eyes staring at the Lemon Energy Lockseed in her right hand, a few patches of blood tainting the object._

 **(The world is like this, the world that we don't know, the unknown world)** _The scene switches to an abandoned storage room, with an office table lying in the middle of the room. Two is seen tinkering with her laptop on the table, before she slowly looked up towards the camera, before the scene fades to Kamen Rider Idunn standing against a black background, with the camera filming Idunn's right side, before it switches towards Idunn's front side, with a shroud of grey covering her entire left side. The camera slowly zooms towards Idunn's head which was looking down, before she suddenly lifts up her head, her visor glowing._

 **(Out of our hands, it doesn't matter, covering up, acting like you don't see a thing)** _The scene then changes to Nozomi walking down an alleyway alone on the way to school, before it switches to Nozomi sitting idly as her friends chatted around her, looking out the window as she stared at the clear blue sky outside._

 **(If you think it's a different thing, you won't notice that the world you live in is)** _The scene then switched to the Chaos Insurgency's hideout, where Krishna is staring the clear blue sky from the window of the hideout, while his teammates are busy playing darts on the background. Suddenly an alert message flashed onto Krishna's Y-Gear, prompting everyone to run out of the hideout._

 **(Instrumentals)** _Shots of the Chaos Insurgency members running are shown frame by frame, each lit by a different color (red for Krishna, blue for Minh, pink for Wind, white for Chan, green for Meika, and yellow for Two)._

 **(Look at it, oh yeah!** ) _The scene switches to Kamen Rider Mars stepping out towards a large plaza, several Dark Riders are seen behind him._

 **(The world is all linked together)** _Krishna and the other Chaos Insurgency members ran up towards the incoming Dark Riders, with their Lockseeds in their hands and their Drivers on their waists. Krishna exchanged looks with his teammates, before he unlocks his Banana Lockseed as the screen fades into yellow._

 **(Save our loved ones and the world (** _ **hey hey because breaking**_ **))** _Kamen Riders Sigurd and Gaoh clashed together as Kamen Rider Idunn takes on Kamen Rider Tyrant, both Riders using their Sonic Arrow and Sword Bringer respectively to counter their opponents' respective weapons._

 **((** _ **down the piled wood castle is easy)**_ **These peaceful days lasting is a wish)** _Kamen Rider Zangetsu defends herself with her Melon Defender from an incoming slash courtesy of Kamen Rider Yuuki, before slashing the skeleton Rider with her Musou Saber._

 **(** _ **hey hey these peaceful days, continuing is just like a wish**_ **)** _Kamen Rider Marika is engaged in a shootout with Kamen Rider Psyga, while Kamen Rider Duke takes on Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto in a melee brawl._

 **(Because I have no idea, how many tickets "to live today" are left)** _Kamen Riders Baron and Mars rushed towards each other, performing identical Rider Punches towards one another that sends them stumbling backwards._

 **(Even at the time when you were playing cards, somewhere in this world)** _As the Dark Riders falter back, the Chaos Insurgency Riders gather around, with the Genesis Riders huddling behind Baron, who uses his Banana Sparking to energize his Banaspear. He then stabs the Banaspear onto the ground, creating a series of energy bananas that skewers the Dark Riders as the screen fades into white._

 **(Somebody is crying)** _The scene flashes from white to show Kamen Rider Gaim Yami leading a group of Riders towards the Chaos Insurgency Riders. Baron slowly made his way towards Gaim Yami, the two Riders reaching their hands towards each other, before they finally touch as the scene fades into white and the song ends._

 **xxx**

 **Arc I: The Chaos Insurgency**

 **Chapter VI: Chan and Sunny ~Death of a Sisterhood~**

 **As told from Chan's point of view (and a little bit of a 3** **rd** **person's point of view as well)**

 **xxx**

 **A week earlier…**

"Ne, Sunny, do you think they will find Krishna and Two soon?"

It has been a few days since my classmates Krishna Sadhana and Nguyen Phuoc "Two" Khanh Linh has gone missing. That and the revelation that there were several other students in our university that went missing but got unreported prior to Krishna and Two's disappearance has made security around our campus tightened significantly and curfews being imposed on our dormitory's residents, myself included. Thanks to that curfew, my best friend Nguyen Duong "Sunny" Minh Anh and I are unable to go out to town to enjoy our girls' night out that we've been planning for days. Instead, Sunny and I are in our respective rooms, talking to each other via our iPhones to kill time.

" _Dunno_ ," replied Sunny's voice from the other side of the line, " _But I hope they'll find them soon…man, this curfew sucks!_ "

"Totally," I said, "Can't believe our plan went down the drain just like that…but then again, we don't know exactly how those students disappeared, so probably the university folks are not taking their chances now."

" _True, true…_ " Sunny said, before a slight sigh was heard, " _Let's hope the authorities could find the missing students ASAP. This curfew thing is killing me. I wanna enjoy Beppu's nightlife scene, god damn it!_ "

"Hopefully," I chuckled a bit, "Otherwise they're going to face a really really pissed of Sunny."

My best friend laughed upon hearing that, " _Alright Cow, it's getting kinda late now. I need to get some beauty sleep for my dance practice tomorrow. Good night!_ "

"Night too, Sunny," I playfully blew a kiss to my iPhone before I hung up.

Placing my iPhone on my desk, I slowly went over towards my laptop, scrolling through the folder before I found one with the name " _Kamen Rider Movies_." Yeah, you guessed it. I'm a sucker for things related to Kamen Rider, thanks to my Tokyo homestay host introducing me to it back when I was in 10th grade. At first I only watched the series for its cute guys. Come on, it's normal, okay? Don't judge me. My first Kamen Rider series happens to be the one with (in my opinion) the cutest protagonist ever – Shu Watanabe as Eiji Hino in _Kamen Rider OOO_. His cheerful personality and eagerness to sacrifice himself for the sake of others has left a lasting mark on my mind and instantly he became my favorite character.

Eventually over time I watched many other Kamen Rider series other than _OOO_ and instead of checking out the _ikemen_ -looking protagonists, I began to follow their respective plots. And I have to say…for a show aimed for children, the plots of many Kamen Rider series are quite deep, complex, and even dark. _Kuuga_ , _Agito_ , _Ryuki_ , _Faiz_ , and _Gaim_ takes the cake for being some of the darkest Kamen Rider series that I've watched, standing out from the likes of _Den-O_ which is completely aimed at children. While other girls back in Da Nang watched K-drama or Vietnamese soap operas, I instead collect Lockseeds and watched Kouta Kazuraba's transformation from a normal everyday guy to a physical god. Thankfully my friends didn't poke fun of me because of this – occasionally I watched K-dramas as well with them, but not as often as watching Kamen Rider shows on my laptop.

Alright, where was I? Oh yes. After finishing my night conversation with Sunny, I've decided to watch a Kamen Rider movie to close up my somewhat boring Saturday night. The Internet connection here in Japan is really fast compared to back home, which enabled me to download numerous movies by the dozen. It's only been a few months since I arrived in the land of the rising sun, and already I've downloaded almost all of the Heisei Kamen Rider movies, one of them is going to be watched by yours truly tonight.

' _Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Fourze & OOO: Movie War Mega Max_…perfect,' I thought as I clicked on the file with the said title as its name, opening up the VLC Player app on my laptop before displaying the familiar Toei Productions logo.

As the movie enters its opening scenes, I lied myself on my bed, my mind slowly drifting away as I looked back at my life so far. This is my second visit to Japan after my 2 week homestay in Tokyo during my 10th grade years and frankly I have to thank my host family for teaching me so many things about Japan. My excellent Japanese skills have wowed both my teachers and my classmates and I've been brushing up on my Japanese history in the library during my spare time. My major is Japanese Economy and I have to say from the introductory course that I took; it's going to be one easy piece of cake.

With the movie now entering the _OOO_ portion, I watched on from my bed as Eiji Hino shows up, fighting off several mummy-like kaijins before taking on an evil-looking Kamen Rider. The Rider wears a black bodysuit, while its helmet is cyan in color, based on a shark with a pair of yellow eyes. The shoulder pads and torso armor are navy blue in color, based on a whale with a whale's head on the right shoulder and a whale's fluke on the left. On the Rider's chest is an inverted triangle split into three sections, with a cyan shark on the right, a navy blue whale on the left, and a crimson wolf fish on the bottom. Around its waist was a silver belt, its buckle circular in shape and rimmed with gold while three colorful coin-like objects called Core Medals are embedded in it, arranged in the same way as the triangle on the Rider's chest with the cyan blue Core Medal on the right, the navy blue Medal on the left, and the crimson Medal on the bottom. Red armor decorates the Rider's hips, hanging down to its thighs, with the same armor covering the Rider's shins. Finally, on the Rider's right hand is a red, harpoon-like weapon. This is Kamen Rider Poseidon, one of the main antagonists of the movie. Wielding his Deepest Harpoon, the Rider slowly approaches Eiji.

" _So, you're Kamen Rider OOO?_ " asked the Rider in a menacing tone. But before Eiji could say anything, Poseidon swung his Deepest Harpoon at the young man, sending him flying.

"Eiji!" I called out Eiji's name, only to slap myself on the forehead after I said that, realizing that I've just made a fool out of myself. He's a fictional character, Chan! There's no way he could have heard you!

Suddenly a beeping noise was heard from my laptop and a Skype dialog box suddenly popped up on the screen, obscuring the movie much to my frustration.

"Who is it this time," I sighed as I reached for my laptop, clicking on my VLC's pause button to pause the movie before clicking on the dialog box.

You see, ever since I arrived in Japan I've received a lot of "fan mail" from both my friends and anonymous accounts on Skype. Apparently life's tough if you have an attractive look and sizeable assets, as most of these "fan mails," especially from anonymous accounts, are guys trying to get into my pants. Please, this is 2015; girls like me won't fall easily for such cheap tricks like that from you guys.

As I suspect, the new Skype message that I got is from an anonymous account, but instead of the usual perverted messages that these creeps has been sending me lately (seriously, someone even sent me a picture of his d*ck. No kidding), I was surprised to find four words written in black plain font displayed in front of me.

 _You have been chosen._

Just those four words. No dirty texts. No disturbing images. No cheesy flirting. Just those four words.

'Must be a prank message, or someone trying to call the wrong person,' I thought, dismissing the Skype message immediately.

Closing my Skype for good in order to avoid any other disturbances, I resumed my movie, lying back on my bed as I enjoyed the action-packed fight between Poseidon against Eiji's Kamen Rider form, Kamen Rider OOO, and a cyan blue Kamen Rider named Aqua.

Slowly, as the fight went on, my eyes became heavy, a quiet yawn escaping my mouth before I closed my eyes, my mind drifting into sleep with OOO and Aqua finishing off Poseidon with their respective Rider Kicks being the last thing that I saw.

And indeed, that is the last thing that I saw, because the moment I opened my eyes the next day, my life as I know it will change forever.

 **xxx**

"Cow, wake up. Cow, wake up! COW, WAKE UP!"

My eyes shot open immediately as I woke up from my slumber, with the first thing that I saw being a 19-year old young woman with a medium yet athletic built, black eyes and chin-length dark brown hair styled in a bob shaking my body in a successful attempt to wake me up. My mind instantly recognized the young woman in front of me, especially with that familiar black sleeveless shirt, blue torn-up denim jeans, and black sneakers that she's wearing right now.

"Sunny?" I asked, confused at her sudden appearance, "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass!" Sunny yelled, confusing me even further, "Now let's go! This place's surrounded!

"Surrounded?" My mind struggled to get a gist on whatever's happening right now, but to no avail, "Sunny, what are you talking about?"

And then it hit me. I'm no longer in the comfort of my room, nor my dormitory. Instead, I found myself sitting inside a cave with Sunny crouching in front of me, a black and silver briefcase lying behind me with several vines surrounding it, a group of familiar purple, bell-shape fruits growing from those vines. And adding more to my surprise is the item now strapped on Sunny's waist.

With its silver belt and round gold buckle, complete with three circular slots in it, Sunny is wearing an exact copy of Kamen Rider Poseidon's belt from the movie that I saw last night, the Poseidon Driver.

"No time to explain!" Sunny yelled again, derailing my train of thought as she quickly stood up, taking out three familiar-looking Core Medals, colored cyan, navy blue, and red each, "Grab your Driver and let's fight our way out of this!"

At the same time, several loud meows were heard from the cave entrance as several cat-like humanoids, colored white and light brown, forced their way into the cave. As a Kamen Rider fan, I instantly recognize the cat-like humanoids rushing towards us.

"Bakenekos…" I gasped, knowing the cat-like Makamou all too well from my experiences watching _Kamen Rider Hibiki_.

"Shit! They're here already!" Sunny cursed, "Guess I have no choice then…Cow, quickly grab your Driver! I'll hold them off as much as I could! **Henshin!** "

And with that, Sunny quickly inserted her Core Medals into her Driver, prompting several energy projections of said Medals to appear around her. The projections blasted several Bakenekos approaching Sunny, before they converge into the familiar inverted triangle symbol in front of her.

 **SAME! KUJIRA! OOKAMIUO!**

The inverted triangle slams itself onto Sunny's chest, forming her black bodysuit in a flash of bright light and a splash of blue energy, causing me to flinch a bit due to the massive outburst of energy. As the light dies out, I was left speechless as my best friend Sunny…has transformed into the Rider from my movie last night.

"I am Kamen Rider Poseidon!" Sunny…no, I mean Kamen Rider Poseidon, introduces herself, pointing her Deepest Harpoon at the Bakenekos in front of her, "I'll be your opponent!"

As Kamen Rider Poseidon uses her Deepest Harpoon to fend off the Bakenekos entering the cave, I immediately rushed towards the briefcase behind me, unlocking it before lifting it open. To my shock, I saw a device all too familiar to me resting inside the briefcase.

Rounded rectangle in shape and black in color, the device has a few silver accents to it, with a yellow cutting knife on its right side, an octagonal indent on the middle, and a blank plate of metal on the left side.

'I knew I've seen this thing before,' I thought as I slowly picked up the device, 'It's a Sengoku Driver…'

All of this is too surreal for me, really. Last night I was talking to Sunny by my iPhone and spent my Saturday night watching a Kamen Rider movie. Now I found myself stranded inside a mysterious cave with Sunny, who had transformed into the same villainous Kamen Rider that I saw from my movie last night, and holding the transformation device for the Armored Riders of _Kamen Rider Gaim_.

Just what the fuck is going on here?

But knowing that Sunny needs my help, I quickly slapped on my Sengoku Driver, the device's yellow straps securing the device around my waist as a white Japanese samurai helmet appears on the device's Rider Indicator. I instantly recognized the owner of that Rider Indicator.

"Zangetsu…" I muttered.

It was like a match made in heaven. Takatora Kureshima, played by the dashingly handsome Yuki Kubota, was my favorite Rider in _Gaim_ , Kamen Rider Zangetsu. His cool attitude and badass fighting prowess has melt this fangirl's heart over and over again, and to become the white Armored Rider itself is a huge honor for me, even though I have no flipping idea on what is going on right now.

Knowing that my Sengoku Driver would need some Lockseeds, I picked up three of the bell-shaped fruits growing around the briefcase, the fruits glowing white for a few seconds before transforming into three Lockseeds, waiting for me to use them. The first one was based on a muskmelon, light green in color with the code **L.S-04**. This is the Melon Lockseed, Zangetsu's default Lockseed. The second one was based on a grape, colored purple with the code **L.S-09**. This is the Budou Lockseed, usually used by Zangetsu's brother Mitsuzane Kureshima/Kamen Rider Ryugen to access his default Budou Arms, a long-ranged specialist. The final Lockseed is based on a mango, colored in a nice gradient of red and yellow with the code **L.S-11**. This is the Mango Lockseed, usually used by Kaito Kumon/Kamen Rider Baron to access his heavy-hitting Mango Arms.

Pocketing the Budou and Mango Lockseeds, I immediately pushed on the switch on my Melon Lockseed, prompting a metallic zipper to appear above me, opening a circular tear with a metallic light green muskmelon coming out of it.

 **MELON!**

From what I've learned from watching _Gaim_ , these tears are called "Cracks," dimensional portals to an otherworldly forest called "Helheim" where the Lockseeds come from, while the metallic muskmelon is an "Armor Part," which would form my Rider form's armor.

Unable to contain the excitement of being able to transform into a Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Zangetsu no less, I let out a brief excited squeal before exclaiming, " **Henshin!** "

I placed my Melon Lockseed on my Sengoku Driver, securing it onto place.

 **LOCK ON!**

Japanese horagai music echoed from my Sengoku Driver throughout the cave, increasing my excitement even more as the Melon Armor Part slowly descended upon me. Quickly I sliced my Lockseed open with my Cutting Blade, a huge grin on my face. I might not know what is happening here, but to fight as my favorite Rider alongside my best friend is something that I won't miss! Maybe I could get some answers once I get out of this cave.

 **SOIYA! MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!**

The Melon Armor Part dropped onto my shoulders, creating the white bodysuit that is the Ride Wear as the Armor Part folds open, revealing my majestic-looking samurai-themed helmet, complete with a pair of dull gold curved horns and a dull gold visor. The Armor Part forms the chest, back, and shoulder armors, emitting a splash of light green energy as they snapped onto place. The newly formed armors are all light green in color and based on a muskmelon, having the same texture as one no less. A holster is seen on my left hilt, a black and yellow katana with a gun on its hilt resting on said holster, while a light green muskmelon-themed shield is formed on my left hand.

Taking my Musou Saber out of its holster with my right hand and grabbing onto my Melon Defender with my left, I pointed my Musou Saber at the Bakenekos fighting Poseidon.

"I am the one who will slay the moon!" I declared as I slowly marched forward, "Kamen Rider…Zangetsu!"

Poseidon quickly performed a powerful slash with her Deepest Harpoon on three Bakenekos in front of her, their destruction allowing me to join the battle by slashing several more of the Makamous on Poseidon's right hand side with my Musou Saber.

"Glad you've finally decided to join, Cow," Poseidon said, standing next to me with her Deepest Harpoon ready.

"Of course," I chuckled, preparing to attack with my Musou Saber, "You needed my help, right? But I need to promise me one thing…"

"What is it?" Poseidon asked.

"After we finish fighting…can you tell me what in the name of Buddha is going on here?" I requested.

Poseidon nodded, "Yeah, I was about to explain that to you when these cats showed up. Guess we need to take care of these nuisances first, eh?"

"True, true," I replied, "Plus we needed to test our new powers, right? Don't tell me you had yours for a while…"

"I did," Poseidon laughed, "About 45 minutes earlier than you. You were out for quite a while."

I rolled my eyes underneath my helmet, "Let's just get this over with."

We immediately leapt into battle, slashing the Bakenekos around us with our respective weapons. Truth to be told, these cat-like creatures are mere cannon fodders, they're easily destroyed with a few slashes but made their weaknesses up with their numbers. But then again we did quite a good job in wiping the floor with them and within 5 minutes and several explosions later; we were out of the cave and found ourselves standing in a middle of a pine forest. And no finishing attacks are needed to take care of these Bakenekos. An easy fight for the both of us. Nope, that fight was _**too**_ easy. Something tells me that this is the start of something huge.

"Cow!" Poseidon called me as she saw me zoning out in front of the cave, "Let's go!"

Nodding quickly, I joined Poseidon as the two of us made a mad dash into the trees in front of us, hoping that we would find our exit from the wilderness in no time.

 **xxx**

"We've been chosen for what?!" I gasped out in shock.

"I didn't believe it at first too, Cow," Sunny replied, understanding the look of pure shock and horror etched onto my face, "But this is the truth."

"I still can't believe it," I shook my head in utter disbelief, "What do you mean we've been chosen to participate in this battle royale between Kamen Riders?"

It has been 45 minutes since we left the cave and after a brief trek through the pine forest; we've finally found a stretch of highway that divides the forest into two, a sign of civilization at last. Following the highway in hopes that we could reach the nearest city, Sunny decided to explain everything that has happened to us so far. Apparently we were both taken from our dorm rooms in our sleep by a black, dragon-themed Kamen Rider and were dropped off by him at that cave. The ride must have been rather bumpy as I was out for quite a while thanks to a rather sizeable bruise on the back of my head that I got from the rough landing. Sunny then told me how a blonde-haired girl sitting on a floating tome woke her up, introducing herself as Histoire and explaining everything that has happened to both me and Sunny…but not before healing the bruise on the back of my head. That explains why I didn't felt a thing when I woke up.

Histoire told Sunny that both she and myself has been chosen by a mysterious figure called "the Game Master," a mysterious figure referred as such by himself and the other "players" that he has chosen. These "players" are people from our world who have been taken by the black Kamen Rider into the realm where we're at right now and like us are given the transformation devices of the Kamen Riders from the Heisei and Neo-Heisei Era. Then, these "players" would fight each other to the death and the last one standing would take on the Game Master and defeat him to win this "Kamen Rider War," apparently the name of this battle royale as told by Histoire. But that's the least disturbing part of this…Histoire mentioned that some of the Riders participating in this war are actually our friends from our university, meaning that in some point, we have to fight our own friends who we've grown accustomed to in campus.

I'm starting to wonder if that's the explanation between the disappearances of Krishna, Two, and the other students of our university. Is it possible that the black Kamen Rider abducted them as well and they're now fighting in this war?

As I walked on with a worried look on my face, Sunny lets out a gentle chuckle. As my best friend, she knows all too well what I'm worried about.

"Don't worry, Cow. I won't fight ya," Sunny smiled at me, easing my mind for a bit, "In fact; I'm going to watch your back. Histoire told me that monsters like those cat-things and other Riders could ambush us at any moment, so we must stay vigilant together in order to survive."

"Thanks," I smiled back, "I know I could always count on you, Sunny. And don't worry. I got your back too."

Suddenly my stomach started to grumble, a clear sign that I was hungry. Well what do you expect? I didn't eat anything before I slept and I haven't even had breakfast because I woke up in a cave in the middle of nowhere for God's sake.

Thankfully Sunny knows this and she immediately took out a silver device made out of a thinned out pane of metal. She then runs her finger against its surface, causing a slight glow to appear from the device.

"This is a Y-Gear," Sunny explains as she browses through the apps on the device, "Histoire said that this thing replaces our iPhone in this place, I'm pretty sure yours has been changed to this as well. The Y-Gear has everything that we needed to survive here, including a GPS app, a Rider War Network where we can see the fights of the other Riders to study their strengths and weaknesses, an app that displays the stats of our Rider form, as well as acting as a universal wallet that stores our cash…fuck!"

"What is it?" I asked.

Sighing in dismay, Sunny showed me the screen of her Y-Gear, which displays the amount of money that she has right now…a pitiful zero.

"Don't tell me you didn't bring money with you when you came here," I chuckled.

"Hey, we were kidnapped from our rooms, remember?" Sunny pouted at me, "There's no way we had time to store up our cash for this."

"Let me see mine," I said, taking out a rose pink Y-Gear (what a touch, it actually has the same color scheme as my old iPhone) from my pocket. I scrolled through my apps to find the device's universal wallet app and much to my dismay; it also displayed a huge zero on my Y-Gear's screen, "Oh fuck. I'm broke as well. Now how are we supposed to survive here when we can't buy anything to eat?"

"We'll just eat anything that nature gives to us," Sunny replied, "Nuts, berries, fruits…insects even…and we'll drink our own urine while we're at it!"

"I think someone might have watched a little bit too much Bear Grylls last night," I commented.

Letting out a quick glare at me, Sunny was about to say something when suddenly she stopped walking, apparently something has caught her on the corner of her eyes.

"What is it?" I asked.

Sunny slowly pointed towards a medium-sized building standing proudly amongst the huge pine trees that surrounds it. At a glance the building seemed run-down, but the lights glowing from inside the building's windows indicate otherwise. A number of totem poles are seen standing in front of the building, along with a small, run-down Ferris wheel at the building's back yard. A huge sign that says "MYSTERY SHACK" is installed on the building's roof, the "S" dangling just precariously above the building's front porch.

"Ever seen _Gravity Falls_?" Sunny asked with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Nope," I shook my head, "Why do you ask that?"

"Histoire said that the realm where we're at now is a place where everything that is fictional in our real world comes to life," Sunny replied, "And if she's right; that means the building in front of us is a real life version of _Gravity Falls_ ' Mystery Shack! It's a tourist trap that overcharges unlucky tourists, complete with a gift shop inside it. And where there's a gift shop…there's money."

Grinning slyly, Sunny takes out a black Swiss army knife from her pocket, brandishing it at my face much to my surprise.

"Sunny…you're not suggesting that we're going to _**rob**_ that place, right?!" I gasped in shock.

"Yup," Sunny replied quickly, before she quickly trotted her way towards the Mystery Shack, "Follow my lead, Cow."

I stood there speechless as Sunny made her way towards the building. I have known Sunny since we both set foot in Japan and from what I've known about her, she's a friendly and outgoing young woman with a rather laidback personality, not exactly the type of person who would do petty crimes like robbing a gift shop or something. But then again, we're both stranded in an unknown, alien world, with no money, no food, no water, and we're both quite hungry, so maybe she got desperate.

"Wait for me!" I exclaimed as I quickly tip-toed my way towards the Mystery Shack, joining Sunny who is now hiding near the building's gift shop entrance.

 **xxx**

Wendy Corduroy lets out a sigh as she leans herself against her chair. It has been a slow day behind the Mystery Shack's cash register for the tall and skinny fair-skinned 15-year old, with the only customer for the day being a 16-year old man with short black hair, brown eyes, and slightly tanned skin wearing a black jacket with short sleeves over a long sleeved green T-shirt, black jeans and red running shoes who is now currently pacing back and forth at the Shack's gift shop.

As she watched the man struggling to choose the perfect souvenir for himself from the vast amount of paraphernalia that the gift shop offers, Wendy slowly took off her tan and dark brown lumberjack hat, exposing her long copper-red hair for the world to see as she wipes off the sweat from her forehead. Today's quite a hot day and with the Shack's only ceiling fan broken, Wendy had to rely on her plastic cup of Coca-Cola to cool herself down.

'Man, it's like a sauna in here,' Wendy thought as she sipped her cola, her jade plaid shirt drenched in sweat from the intense heat, 'When's my shift going to be over? Mabel promised me to take me to the river after my shift's over to cool ourselves down…'

Suddenly a chime was heard, sending Wendy back to her alert senses as two more people has entered the gift shop, specifically Sunny and myself. Delighted that two more potential customers has showed up, Wendy puts her hat back on, displaying the most cheerful smile that she could muster to greet both Sunny and me.

"Welcome to the Mystery Shack!" Wendy greeted, "What can I do to…hey, what the?!"

Suddenly Wendy was pinned against the wall by Sunny, who had brandished her Swiss army knife at her much to both her and my shock.

"Give me all the dough that you have," Sunny threatened, pointing the knife's sharp edge at Wendy's left eye, "Or you'll wear an eye-patch for the rest of your life."

"Please don't hurt me," Wendy whimpered. I can't help to feel sorry for her, but then again, if we could not get some money as soon as possible to get ourselves something to eat, we might die of starvation.

'I'm sorry,' I thought as Sunny continues to intimidate Wendy with her Swiss army knife.

"Now be a good girl and open the register for us," Sunny said.

Wendy nodded, before she quickly inputted a few codes into her cash register machine, causing it to display all of its valuable contents. A huge smirk appeared on Sunny's face once she saw the huge amount of cash stored within the register.

"Cow, take all the money from the register, will you?" Sunny asked.

I nodded rather reluctantly, before making a mad dash towards the register. Since in this world everything's mobile and electronic, I linked up my Y-Gear with the cash register, before downloading the register's contents into my Y-Gear much to Wendy's horror.

"Don't worry," Sunny said in a reassuring yet sinister tone, "If you stay still and quiet, you will not get hurt."

"Hey! Step away from the register!"

Sunny and I were surprised to hear that male voice, while a slight look of relief can be seen on Wendy's otherwise terrified expression. A 16-year old man slowly steps out from the gift shop's display counter towards us, a laidback yet furious expression on his face.

"What do you think are you two doing?!" the man asked, pointing at both Sunny and me.

"Scoring ourselves some pocket money, what else?" Sunny replied, surprisingly calm despite being subjected with an intimidating glare from the man, "We just got here and we don't have any money to buy any food. Can't you see that we're starving?"

"But that doesn't justify what you two are doing!" the man retorted, "Listen, I knew the family who runs this place, the Pines. They worked so hard in maintaining this establishment, sacrificing their blood, tears, and sweat for this place, and even though they're going through hard times right now, they still kept on going! And now you two have to show up and take away all of their years' hard work!"

Immediately Sunny pointed her knife at the young man, launching out a death glare at him that terrified both me and Wendy.

"Listen here you little punk," Sunny said, grabbing the man by the collar as she pointed her knife against the man's neck, "My knife here can take away your life in a blink of an eye. You wouldn't dare to go up against someone who has the power to inflict a painful death on you, right?"

Instead of being intimidated by Sunny's threat, the man casually shoves Sunny away from him, taking out a rounded rectangle-shaped device from his pocket, with a black, push-able slot decorated with green accents on the device's right hand side, while the left hand side is colored silver with a red section that can be split apart. I instantly recognized the device on the man's possession, knowing that he's not someone to be taken lightly.

'That's…!' my thoughts screamed in my mind.

"You want a fight?" the man asked, brandishing the device in front of Sunny, "You'll get one. Let's take this outside."

 **xxx**

Outside the Mystery Shack, Sunny and I as well as the man stood face-to-face, my Sengoku Driver already strapped around my waist while Sunny has already placed her Poseidon Driver around hers. On the other hand, the man takes out a card from his jacket pocket, placing the card on his device's slot before pushing the slot in. He then places the device against his waist, creating a belt of cards that secured the device on his body.

"Two against one, eh?" the man lets out a brief smirk, "Sounds kinda unfair…but I don't get to fight often, so this is quite the challenge for me."

"Before we wipe that smirk off that pretty face, can you tell us your name?" Sunny asked, taking out her Core Medals as I prepped up my Melon Lockseed.

"My name is Jovany Abro," the man introduced himself as he places his right hand over his buckle, "And I will ensure that your crimes will not go unpunished. **Henshin!** "

Jovany swung his right arm, opening up his belt buckle to reveal a green **A** etched on a red background.

 **OPEN UP!**

A green projection appeared with a three-headed dog etched on its center, the field flew back towards Jovany and went through him, fading away to reveal his armor.

Jovany's armor consist of a black bodysuit underneath a chest plate with black shoulder pads decorated with green linings, the chest had a large green **A** with red in the middle. His helmet was green with decorations on the side with a red jewel that resembled a suit of diamonds on the center, while on his right hand is a black and green spear; a card holder is present on his right hip.

"Kamen Rider Lance…" I muttered, recognizing Jovany's armor from the _Kamen Rider Blade: Missing Ace_ movie.

"We better transform too, Cow," Sunny said, inserting her Core Medals into her Driver, " **Henshin!** "

 **SAME! KUJIRA! OOKAMIUO!**

With a splash of blue energy, Sunny transforms into Kamen Rider Poseidon, pointing her Deepest Harpoon at her opponent.

With Sunny transformed, I decided to transform as well to back her up, because something tells me that this is not going to be an easy battle.

 **MELON!**

The Melon Armor Part descended down from the Crack above me as I secured my Melon Lockseed in place.

 **LOCK ON!**

" **Henshin!** " I yelled, before slicing the Melon Lockseed quickly with my Cutting Blade.

 **SOIYA! MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!**

Transforming into Kamen Rider Zangetsu, I took out my Musou Saber with my right hand as my left hand gripped onto my Melon Defender tightly, pointing the Musou Saber at Lance.

"I am the one who will slay the moon!" I shouted, "Kamen Rider…Zangetsu!"

"I'm going to slay you two instead!" Lance exclaimed, gripping onto his spear, the Lance Rouzer, tightly as he charged into battle.

Seeing this, Poseidon immediately slashed her Deepest Harpoon at the incoming Lance's chest, landing a direct hit that startled him, allowing me to bash my Melon Defender onto Lance's chest, before a vertical slash with my Musou Saber followed suit. Gritting his teeth in pain, Lance swung his Lance Rouzer at me, which I countered immediately with my Melon Defender, before another slash to the chest with the Musou Saber stuns Lance yet again.

"Huh, lucky strikes," Lance scoffed as he recovered himself, "But I'm not done yet!"

Lance made a quick jump onto the air, thrusting his spear against my chest armor much to my surprise, creating a huge shower of sparks as the weapon impacted against its target. Pain racked through my body as I stumbled back, never before had someone hit me that hard before.

"Cow!" Poseidon called out, before she proceeds to slash a pair of blue energy slashes from her Deepest Harpoon.

Lance managed to nimbly jump over the first slash before neutralizing the second one with a swing of his Lance Rouzer, only for a third energy slash to caught him off guard, hitting him on the chest and sending him flying to the air, crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

 **xxx**

As we continued to fight, a black Toyota Crown limousine slowly pulls itself to a stop at the Mystery Shack's parking space, neither of us is aware of the car's presence. The car's rear passenger window slowly rolls open, allowing a pair of eyes to watch our unfolding battle with interest.

 **xxx**

By now both Lance and Poseidon had ditched their respective weapons and are now exchanging fisticuffs, with Lance hitting Poseidon several times with a number of perfectly timed jabs onto her torso, before Poseidon retaliates with a sharp hook onto Lance's right cheek. I decided to join in the fun as well, ditching my Melon Defender as I holstered the Musou Saber once again before delivering a flying kick onto Lance's chest, an uppercut to the black and green Rider's chin ensues. Lance was sent stumbling by those quick attacks, but something tells me he's not down and out yet.

"Nice shot," Lance commented, regaining his stance as he cracked his neck, "For a pair of newcomers. Let me show you the power of a Rider who has actual experience in this thing!"

Lance rushed forward, swinging a jab with his right fist at Poseidon, only for my best friend to quickly counter it with a jab from her left fist. Both punches made contact with their respective opponent's cheeks, causing both Lance and Poseidon to let out groans of pain.

"Sunny!" I called out for my best friend.

Thankfully Poseidon responded well, kicking the still stunned Lance on the chest before performing a pin-point spinning kick onto his head, knocking him down to the ground.

 **xxx**

"Interesting…" said a male voice from inside the limousine, a brief smile appearing on his face as he observes our fight, "Perfect candidates for our ring, eh, Eki?"

"Agreed," replied a female voice next to the man, "I think they could keep up with most if not all of our fighters."

 **xxx**

Letting out an angry yell, Lance took out a card from his card holder and swiped it against a slot on his Lance Rouzer.

 **MIGHTY!**

A projection was launched from the card before it was quickly absorbed by the blade of the Lance Rouzer, as Lance quickly charged towards both Poseidon and me, ready to finish the battle once and for all.

But unfortunately for him, we didn't come unprepared.

Poseidon gripped onto her Deepest Harpoon tightly as blue energy starts to surge on its blade, as I detached my Lockseed from my Sengoku Driver and installs it onto an indent on the Musou Saber's hilt.

 **LOCK ON! 1! 10! 100! 1,000! 10,000!**

Lance swung his energized Lance Rouzer towards us, only for us to quickly parry the incoming attack with our respective weapons, much to his dismay.

"What the?!" Lance gasped at the failure of his special attack.

With a lift, we managed to disarm Lance of his Lance Rouzer, while at the same time exposing his torso, before we charged forward, performing a simultaneous slash with our charged weapons onto Lance's sides, with Poseidon attacking his right side with her energized Deepest Harpoon and me slashing through his left side with my energized Musou Saber, an energy projection of a melon slice appearing briefly as my weapon made contact with Lance's bodysuit.

 **MELON CHARGE!**

Energy surged throughout Lance's body as he knelt to the ground in pain; the same green projection that appeared during his transformation was released from his belt buckle and phased through his body once again, erasing his armor as he reverted back to Jovany.

Immediately as Jovany collapsed to the ground, Poseidon took off her Medals from her Driver, reverting back to Sunny as she quickly restrained Jovany's arms.

"Now, Cow! Drain this man dry!" Sunny yelled at me.

I nodded, closing up my Lockseed to cancel my transformation in motes of green light, before I proceed to hurry over towards the restrained Jovany, taking out his Y-Gear from his pocket before linking it with my own.

"You bitch! What do you think you're doing?" Jovany cursed as he struggled in Sunny's restraints.

Quickly Sunny pinned Jovany against the ground, a terrifying glare coming out from her eyes as she made contact with Jovany's own, "Like we said earlier, we're scoring ourselves some pocket money. Only this time it's from your wallet instead of the cash register!" And with that Sunny punched Jovany on the head once, knocking the man out.

At the same time, the download of Jovany's money has been completed and now my universal wallet is packed with money taken straight from Jovany's Y-Gear. Casting aside Jovany's drained Y-Gear, I let out a delighted smile as Sunny catches up with me, a smile appearing on her face as well as she saw my loot.

"My God, we did it, Cow!" Sunny exclaimed, pumping her fists in delight, "Now what shall we eat? Steak? Sushi? Pizza? Ramen? Or some good old Pho?"

"Nice job, you two."

A male voice startled the two of us, sending us into high alert. We turned around, my Melon Lockseed in my hand as Sunny takes out the Same, Kujira, and Ookamiuo Medals, the two of us ready to fight whoever's coming towards us.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. I don't want to fight you guys."

Walking up to us is a young man, around 17 years of age. He has a tall and athletic build, brown skin, black eyes, curly and messy black hair with slight hints of a goatee. The man wears a blue polo shirt, torn up navy blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. The man lets out a smile as we slowly lowered our transformation devices down.

"I saw your fight earlier. And I have to say, I'm impressed," the man said again, "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Raksa Jufriyanto Ikhsan and I have an eye in spotting talented Riders like you."

"Are you a Rider as well?" I asked.

Raksa chuckled, "No my dear, I'm not a Kamen Rider…but my girlfriend is. Eki, why don't you come over here and say hi to these nice people?"

Emerging from behind Raksa is a young woman, aged around 16, who immediately made her way next to the young man. The young woman has a tall, slightly muscular, and athletic build, light brown skin, chin-length black hair styled in a bob cut, and amber eyes. Currently she is wearing a white Tottenham Hotspur T-shirt, brown cargo pants, and black sneakers.

"You called?" the woman asked in a cold, stoic tone to Raksa.

Raksa smiled, "Girls, this is Eki Novianda, my beloved girlfriend. But she's better known as…"

Eki took out something from her pocket and showed it to us. It was a black, rectangular object with several faint bronze linings on it.

"…Kamen Rider Yuuki," Raksa finished.

"Nice to meet you," I said, letting out a smile as I offered my hand to Eki. But much to my surprise, Eki refuses my hand, glaring coldly at both me and Sunny as she pockets the rectangular object again.

"You must forgive her, Eki's not that good with people," Raksa said sheepishly, before he turned his attention towards Eki, "Now Eki, go back to the car and wait. I'm going to have a little chat with these two."

"Yes, Raksa," Eki said, still in that chilling stoic tone that seriously creep me out. But thankfully she's not there for long, as she immediately left the area, leaving us with just Raksa.

"What do you want with us, by the way?" Sunny asked.

"Glad you asked," Raksa replied, once again flashing that charismatic smile of his, "Eki and I are running a fighting ring at Tokusat City, the area's largest city and we've been traveling around the region to search for the strongest Kamen Rider to fight in our ring. And we believe, you two have some potential."

"What's in it for us?" Sunny asked again.

"Our fighters are paid with a reasonable sum of money for each of their fights," Raksa answered, "The money earned from one fight is enough for a simple, two-course meal."

Holy mother of God. Just by fighting one round, we will get enough money for a two-course meal? This offer is definitely too good to be refused.

As if knowing what's going through my mind, Raksa said this to entice us even further, "And if you manage to beat all of the Riders in our ring, we would ensure to the winning Rider…no, _**Riders**_ , that they will lead a very luxurious life in Tokusat City, living at the city's premier penthouse apartment with riches that would left the likes of Donald Trump green with envy. What do you say about that?"

It's official. That is the sweetest offer that we could get. Not only we can hone our fighting skills in the ring, but we're actually _**paid**_ to do so and if we do well enough, we will go from rags to riches in no time! What could possibly go wrong?

"Are you two interested with our proposition?" Raksa asked again.

"Hell yeah we do!" both Sunny and I exclaimed in unison.

"Excellent," Raksa smiled, "Now, if you just follow me to my limo, I'll explain more about what you're going to do…"

 **xxx**

It took us around two hours to get to Tokusat City from the Mystery Shack, and I have to say, the city that we entered looked nothing like the cities that we've been to before. Tokusat City is a literal city from the future, with a multitude of high-rise buildings, each of them looking hi-tech as fuck. In the heart of the city is an exact replica of _Gaim_ 's Yggdrasil Tower, which is really huge once you've seen it up close and personal. But unfortunately for us, our destination is not in the futuristic-looking heart of the city.

Raksa's limo has taken us to a run-down, slum district of the city located west of the Yggdrasil Tower replica, called "Crackton," judging by the aging sign that we passed by a few minutes ago. Slowly I began to feel uneasy. What if all of Raksa's offers to us are too good to be true? What if there's something much more sinister behind this? What if…

"We're here," Raksa said, breaking my thoughts.

As we stepped out from Raksa's limo, I could now clearly see where Raksa had taken us. It was a steampunk-looking building, with a sign consisting of the words "SALTY SPITOON" in neon red being displayed at the building's entrance.

'A bar?' I thought as we were being lead into the building by one of Raksa's bodyguards.

The interior of the building looked like a hybrid between a bar and a nightclub, complete with a counter, a wide space that is used as a dance floor, and a DJ stand. But behind the DJ stand lies a small door, which we were lead to by the bodyguard.

What lies behind the door surprises us completely.

It is a huge, spacious room complete with a wide space on the middle, similar to the dance floor that we saw earlier, only this time bigger. A small stage is seen on the heart of the room, with a pair of cushioned chairs and a small table on it, while several iron railings are seen in front of the wide space, forming a series of elevated platforms.

And then it hits us. We're standing inside an indoor coliseum, where we would probably fight our opponents.

But what struck our attention the most is the contents of the table on the stage. Stacked on top of the table are several bars of gold, arranged in such a manner that it forms into a medium-sized triangle. If a 400oz bar of gold is worth $800,000 in the current economy, imagine how much money those bars of gold in that stack are worth. It would make whoever owns them unimaginably rich!

And that's not all. Lying idly next to the stack is a pair of devices that is really familiar to the eyes of someone who has watched a lot of _Gaim_ like yours truly. The first device is red in color, with a silver compressor-type lever on the right hand side of the objects, an octagonal indent on the center of the objects, and a transparent cup-like apparatus on the bottom of the objects, just below the indent, while the second device is a crystal blue Lockseed with a light green cantaloupe on it, coded **E.L.S-04**.

"A Genesis Driver and a Melon Energy Lockseed…" I muttered underneath my breath upon seeing the two devices.

"You like 'em, eh?" Raksa commented as he approaches us, patting us on the shoulders as we kept on looking at the stack of gold and the Genesis Driver set in pure awe, "Those are some of the prizes that the ultimate fighter of this ring would win. The gold bars are courtesy of my girlfriend, who acquired them in…well…barely legal manners if you can say it from the Bank of Tokusat City. The Genesis Driver set is a gift from the Game Master himself to us, and whoever has the power of that set will have the ability to change the world, if the Game Master is correct. Right, my bodyguard will take you to your waiting rooms."

"Follow me, Miss," Raksa's bodyguard said, gesturing to me and Sunny to follow him as he headed towards the back of the stage.

 **xxx**

Raksa's bodyguard led us to a small, barely-lit room and left us there, telling us to wait there for around an hour or so. The room is like your typical sports team's changing room, complete with the benches and lockers. There's also a small TV at the corner of the room, which was turned off. We sat there for a full twenty minutes, neither of us talking to each other as we're trying to process what is going on right now.

"Ne, Sunny," I spoke first, breaking the silence, "Do you think that this is a good idea?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Cow," Sunny scoffed, "Can't you see what's in store for us? A chance to earn ourselves some cold hard cash while at the same time improving our fighting skills! Granted what we did earlier this morning is good, but still, I don't feel like we're doing well enough. If we're going to survive this war, we need to up the ante, Cow. We need to be better than everyone else if we want to come out of this alive!"

"Good point," I nodded.

"Plus those gold bars!" Sunny added, "Man, if we could get our hands on them…all of our problems would be solved! No matter how long we're going to be stuck in this place, we'll always have enough money to sustain ourselves!"

'Then again, there's the prospect of upgrading myself into Zangetsu Shin…' I thought. Zangetsu's a strong Rider, but Zangetsu Shin's even much stronger. With its stats being vastly improved from the old Zangetsu, Zangetsu Shin curbs-stomps Riders left and right in _Gaim_ in the hands of whoever's wearing them. Getting an upgrade of my Rider form from Zangetsu to Zangetsu Shin is equivalent of replacing my old Windows laptop with a Mac, the difference and improvements are significant!

That's it! I'm going to do well in this fighting ring to get that Driver!

Suddenly we heard muffled cheering noises from outside the room, coupled with the sound of weapons clashing. Immediately we knew that a fight is going on at the indoor coliseum behind the walls of our waiting room.

"Is it starting?" I asked.

Sunny nodded, "Seems so. But we don't know who's facing who since Raksa didn't give us the full list of competitors…"

I noticed the TV lying on the room's corner and immediately a thought came into my head, "Hey, why don't we check out that TV? Maybe the video footage of the fight is being streamed into it."

"Can't hurt to try," Sunny said, reaching for the TV's power cable and plugging it into the nearest electrical outlet, before switching the TV on with a push of a button.

And my hunch was quickly proven, as the TV displayed a live video feed of what's happening at the indoor coliseum.

"Looks like your prediction is spot on, Cow," Sunny commented.

"It's nothing," I grinned, "I remembered that during my friend's theatre performance back home, a live video feed of the play was streamed to the actors in their backstage changing rooms, so that they could know when they should come out or not."

 **xxx**

 **(3** **rd** **person POV)**

Surrounded by a wild crowd that continuously chanted their names, two Kamen Riders are battling it out at the indoor coliseum. The first Kamen Rider was themed after a Chinese warrior with a yellow-belted Sengoku Driver around its waist, its crimson and bronze helmet is based on a kiwi complete with green, spiky kiwi slices on the sides of the helmet as well as a pair of green eyes. Its chest and shoulder armors are based on grapes, colored a deep crimson for the shoulder pads while its bronze chest armor has green circles that resembled a group of grapes stacked together, black flame markings can be seen in these circles. The Rider's Ride Wear is colored crimson and black with some bronze accents on the wrists, knees, and shin-guards, while a tattered crimson and bronze loincloth hangs from the Sengoku Driver at the groin area. A crimson Lockseed that resembled grapes was sliced on the Sengoku Driver, while the Rider Indicator has a crimson Chinese warrior helmet on it.

This is the sinister Rider of the Underworld, Kamen Rider Ryugen Yomi Yomotsuheguri Arms.

Facing off against Ryugen Yomi is another Sengoku Driver-using Kamen Rider, the belts on its Driver also colored yellow while it's Ride Wear is navy blue with dull gold bracers and shin-guards. Its chest and shoulder armors are blood red in color, themed after a blood orange with black flame markings etched on them for an intimidating effect. The Rider's helmet is also navy blue in color with a blood red and dull gold curved sword-like decoration on the forehead, its visor shaped like an orange slice and like the chest and shoulder armors, the visor is also blood red in color, with black flame markings on the lower corners of the visor, while a black mouth-guard completes the look. A blood red sliced Lockseed that resembled an orange is present on the Rider's Sengoku Driver, while it's Rider Indicator has a navy blue Japanese samurai helmet with a blood red visor.

This is Kamen Rider Bujin Gaim Blood Orange Arms, the power-hungry warlord who seeks to rule the World of the Sengoku Period.

"You're going down, Anjani," taunted Bujin Gaim with a deep, threatening male voice, wielding a blood red orange slice-themed scimitar that is the Daidaimaru on his right hand and an exact replica of Chan's Musou Saber on his left, "I'm going to walk away with that money!"

"Not on my watch, Mikhail," replied Ryugen Yomi in a raspy female voice, taking out an ornate-looking halberd that is the Dau.

"ANJANI! MIKHAIL! ANJANI! MIKHAIL!" the crowd chanted the two Riders' true identities, eager to give their respective favorites a morale boost in this battle.

Sitting on the stage behind the two fighting Riders are Raksa and Eki, the stack of gold as well as the Genesis Driver set are present on the table between them. As Eki watches the battle with her usual cold, stoic expression, Raksa slowly glances at his wristwatch, mentally counting down the remaining time of the battle unfolding in front of him.

Ryugen Yomi sliced her Lockseed once.

 **HAI! YOMOTSUHEGURI SQUASH!**

As Ryugen Yomi charges several purple grape-shaped energy balls onto the blade of her Dau, Bujin Gaim combines the hilts of his Daidaimaru and Musou Saber, before detaching his Lockseed off his Sengoku Driver and installs it onto his Musou Saber.

 **LOCK ON! 1! 10! 100! 1,000!**

Ryugen Yomi jumped into the air, her energized Dau pointing downwards as she attempts to skewer Bujin Gaim, only for the latter to have other ideas. As Ryugen Yomi descended down rapidly upon him, Bujin Gaim spun his combined weapon together, blood red energy charging into the blade of his Daidaimaru. With a mighty slash, Bujin Gaim struck the incoming Ryugen Yomi with his combined weapon, creating an energy blood orange slice as Daidaimaru's energized blade sliced Ryugen Yomi right across the chest in a diagonal manner.

 **BLOOD ORANGE CHARGE!**

Groaning in pain, Ryugen Yomi landed on her back as her armor disintegrated in crimson motes of light, revealing a young woman in her place. The young woman was around 17 years of age, with a short build, pale skin, reddish eyes, shoulder-length dark brown hair, a small mole on the upper right corner of her lip, and huge bloody gashes on her wrists. She is now wearing a white T-shirt with blood stains on it with a gray skirt and black sneakers.

Humiliated and defeated, Anjani lets out a glare at the victorious Bujin Gaim, who is gloating in victory with his supporters.

"And the winner for today's battle!" announced a pudgy, white-skinned man in a black suit and a dark brown bowler hat who suddenly rushed into the arena and lifted Bujin Gaim's right arm, "Is Reza…"

"Wimpy!" Bujin Gaim shot out, glaring underneath his visor at the man next to him.

"Ah, sorry," whispered the man, Wimpy, before he continued in his enthusiastic tone, "I mean Mikhail! Kamen Rider Bujin Gaim!"

As the crowd around the arena burst into cheers praising Bujin Gaim, Wimpy retreated back into the stage while at the same time both Raksa and Eki came off it, the duo approaching Bujin Gaim as he closes up his Lockseed, canceling his transformation in blood red motes of light.

The 20-year old man underneath the Bujin Gaim armor has a tall, rather muscular and athletic build with light brown skin, black eyes, and short, slick black hair. He is currently wearing a blood red T-shirt underneath a black leather jacket with golden accents on them, blue denim jeans, and black sneakers, as well as a navy blue sweatband with a red Gaim symbol on his left wrist.

Reza "Mikhail" Bimasakti lets out a stoic smile as both Raksa and Eki came up to him, the former bringing up a white Y-Gear towards him.

"Congratulations for your fine win, Mikhail," Raksa said, "Now, for your reward…"

Mikhail nodded, taking out a blood red Y-Gear and linking it up with Raksa's white one. Within seconds, the prize money that Mikhail has earned was transferred into the man's universal wallet, much to his delight.

"It's an honor fighting in this ring, Raksa," Mikhail bowed politely as both Raksa and Eki retreated back to the stage.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen!" exclaimed Wimpy from the stage as both Raksa and Eki returned to their respective seats, a silver microphone on his hand, "Put your hands together for the ring's newest fighters!"

 **xxx**

 **(back to Chan's POV)**

"That was some battle," I commented after watching Bujin Gaim's crushing victory, "That Rider played his opponent like it was nothing!"

"More the reason on why we should up our game, Cow," added Sunny, before a knock on the door attracted our attention, "Come in!"

"Miss Chan and Miss Sunny?" Raksa's bodyguard greeted as he enters the room, "Master Raksa would like to see you now."

 **xxx**

The bodyguard escorted us out from the waiting room and into the indoor coliseum, where we were greeted by a huge crowd cheering at our arrival. Raksa and Eki are present on the coliseum's stage, the stack of gold and the Genesis Driver set on the table between them, meanwhile on the edge of the stage there's a pudgy man wearing a bowler hat who is holding a silver microphone, sheer enthusiasm can be seen on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the man exclaimed as we were led onto the coliseum arena, "Give a huge round of applause for our newest fighters, Chan and Sunny!"

The entire arena erupted instantly, greeting us with a thunderous roar that is beyond our imagination. Sunny immediately got into the moment, lifting her arms as she closes her eyes, enjoying the warm welcome that she's receiving. I, on the other hand, could not get my eyes off the pudgy man, who is now jumping up and down wildly on the stage to the rhythm of the cheering audience. I immediately asked Raksa's bodyguard,

"Who's that man?"

"That's J. Wellington Wimpy," the bodyguard replied, "He's the announcer of this ring. Used to be famous in this city, doing boxing matches, wrestling matches, you name it. But somehow he ended up doing an underground fighting ring. No one knows why, even me!"

"I see," I nodded, before thinking, 'Maybe Raksa paid a huge amount of money to get such a famous announcer to appear in his ring.'

"Chan! Sunny!" Raksa's charismatic voice greeted us as the man himself got off from the stage, with Eki following obediently behind him, "So glad to see you all pumped up for today! Are you ready for your first matches?"

"You bet we are!" Sunny exclaimed, an enthusiastic grin appearing on her face, "Who's our opponent?"

"Well, in our ring, you can freely choose your opponent," Raksa replied, before showing both Sunny and I the audience around us, "We have a variety of fighters waiting to take you on in the audience today, and they're placed strategically on the stands' stairways so that you can easily choose them. Choose wisely."

Sunny looked at the audience around her, noticing a few men and women standing or sitting separately from the other audiences, with Raksa's bodyguards standing by around them. After looking at the crowd around her for a few seconds, Sunny lets out a nod, a sign that she's chosen her opponent.

"I'd take the strongest guy that you have here."

What the fuck, Sunny?! Your first fight and already you've picked out the strongest of the bunch?! Are you fucking insane?!

"Oooh, intriguing!" Raksa commented, "In her first fight, Sunny has chosen to fight against our ring's toughest fighter! That means Xavier, you're up!"

A 22-year old man stood up from his seat, he has short natural grey hair, thin framed glasses over his green eyes, and wears a full black suit. He turned his attention towards the man next to him, a 19-year old Latino man with an average yet slightly muscular build, dark brown skin, slick black hair, and green eyes wearing a black and bronze leather jacket and torn up black denim jeans, with a pair of black military boots.

"Wish me luck, David!" the man, Xavier, told his friend, David.

"Good luck, ese!" David replied as Xavier leapt down into the arena, lifting his arms up into the air as the crowd cheered loudly around him.

Upon seeing her opponent, a brief chuckle escaped Sunny's mouth, which caused me to worry even further. Now's not the time to underestimate your opponent, Sunny…

"This is the strongest guy that you've got?" Sunny laughed, "He looked like a nerd!"

"But Xavier Herde is not just your average nerd!" suddenly Wimpy's enthusiastic voice boomed across the coliseum, "He is the leader of the fighters of this ring, the man entrusted with the future of our establishment, the father of his own men! Can Sunny defeat our great leader in her debut fight?"

"Don't underestimate me, girl," Xavier said, cracking his fists as he took off his suit, revealing a well-toned body, "I will make sure that your debut will end in nightmares."

"We'll see about that," Sunny replied, taking off her shirt as well (much to the surprise and obvious amazement of the male audience), leaving her in a grey sports bra, "Let's do this!"

"Alright, gather round," Wimpy signaled or both Xavier and Sunny to approach him, "You've got five minutes to fight and you may fight untransformed or transformed. If you choose to go all the way untransformed, the one who knocks out his or her opponent wins. If you choose to transform, the one who causes the other to de-transform wins. Got it?"

"Got it!" both Sunny and Xavier replied in unison.

"Alright! Here we go!" Wimpy exclaimed, taking out a bell as he rings it to the audience, "Let's get ready to rumble!"

I watched uneasily from the sidelines with Raksa's bodyguard watching over me, as both Xavier and Sunny assumed their fighting stances.

Xavier went in first, performing a straight jab towards Sunny which she nimbly avoids. The man went on with his punches, but much to everyone's surprise, Sunny just waltzes around them, her movements graceful and nimble, it's like she's dancing instead of fighting!

"Hold…still!" Xavier grunted as he kept on punching, only to hit the air instead of my best friend.

"My turn," Sunny winked playfully, avoiding two more punches before she jumped to the air, performing a spinning kick that hit Xavier on the chest, knocking the man to the ground much to the shock of the audience.

'Guess those hours of street dancing pays off after all, eh?' I thought, now realizing how Sunny got her moves.

"God damn it," Xavier cursed as he stood up, "You're a tough one, aren't you? Alright, let's see how you can beat me when I'm all armored up!"

Xavier snapped his fingers, prompting several of Raksa's bodyguards to swarm him. Each bodyguard carries a container with black armor pieces in them, which they immediately took out and attach onto Xavier's body. Sunny watched on attentively as the bodyguards stuck the armor pieces one by one onto Xavier's body, before the last bodyguard secures a helmet on Xavier's head.

As the bodyguards retreated away from the arena, Xavier's newly equipped armor lets out a jet of steam, signaling its completion. The bulky black suit of armor has a stag beetle theme to it, with a pair of curved silver horns on the helmet, accompanied by a pair of blue compound eyes. The black torso armor had golden trims on them, with a **G** symbol emblazoned on the left chest. Silver trimming accompanies the black armor on the shoulder pads, gauntlets, bracers, grieves, and shin-guards, with the code **G4** emblazoned in yellow on the left shoulder pad. On the armor's waist area lies a silver, rectangular belt buckle, a set of glowing red lights visible on the midsection of the buckle, while a red battery pack makes up the armor's back.

Cracking his fists, Xavier's armored form, Kamen Rider G4, stepped forward, unclipping a black modular magnum pistol from its holster on the right hip before brandishing it at Sunny.

"Try to beat me in this form!" G4 taunted.

"Gladly," Sunny snickered, taking out her Poseidon Driver and placing it against her waist. She then proceeds to take out her Same, Kujira, and Ookamiuo Medals, installing them into the Driver's slots, " **Henshin!** "

 **SAME! KUJIRA! OOKAMIUO!**

Kamen Rider Poseidon twirls her Deepest Harpoon around her, before pointing its blade at G4 in an attempt to intimidate the heavily armored Rider. G4 replied the challenge by blasting Poseidon on the chest with his pistol, sparks flying as the projectiles impacted against Poseidon's inverted triangle symbol.

"Okay, you got me there," Poseidon said, twirling her Deepest Harpoon again, "But can you take this?!"

Poseidon charged forward, waltzing her way through G4's continuous pistol fire, before bashing her Deepest Harpoon onto G4's right shoulder. Much to her surprise, the black Rider barely budged. Letting out a yell, Poseidon swung her Deepest Harpoon and struck G4's left shoulder, a shower of sparks coming out from where the harpoon's blade had impacted. But G4 remained unmoved, his sturdy armor managed to withstand the attack.

As Poseidon lifted her Deepest Harpoon to perform another attack, G4 quickly grabbed the incoming weapon, tossing it aside before he proceeds to perform a straight jab onto Poseidon's chest, stunning the Rider for a moment, allowing G4 to grab Poseidon by the right arm. As my best friend groaned in pain, G4 tossed Poseidon around like a ragdoll several times, before throwing the cyan-navy blue-red Rider at the audience. A small crowd retreated immediately as Poseidon crashed against the stands, landing just a few inches next to me.

"Sunny! Don't give up!" I yelled, hoping to give my best friend some encouragement.

Standing up groggily, Poseidon shook her head for a few seconds, trying to clear out the severe headache that struck her the moment she landed on the stands. Once she had regained her senses, Poseidon quickly jumped back into the arena, prompting G4 to fire his pistol once again. But this time Poseidon was ready and like before, she danced her way through the bullets. But she doesn't stop there – Poseidon performed several backflips, rolls, and jumps as she tries her best to set G4's aim off balance. From what I've known, G4 has a state-of-the-art AI that helped him in his battles and if I'm not mistaken, Poseidon's constant movement will cause the AI to crash at any moment from the overload of analyzing my best friend's every move.

Something that came to reality seconds afterwards.

A spark of electricity appeared from G4's helmet, causing the black Rider to drop his pistol as he clutches his head in pain.

"Damn it!" G4 cursed, "Not now! Don't die on me, god damn it!"

"Now!" Poseidon quickly grabs her Deepest Harpoon and swiped it repeatedly at the now immobile G4; sparks flying as the harpoon's blade slowly chipped away the black Rider's armor.

Finished with her swipes, Poseidon planted the Deepest Harpoon on the ground, using it as a launching pad for her to propel herself towards G4, wrapping her legs around the Rider's neck as she topples G4 underneath her weight. Poseidon pounded her fists onto G4's helmet several times, fracturing his compound eyes after several hits before a final punch broke G4's left eye completely, before G4 sluggishly shook Poseidon off him. But with his AI already frozen up, G4 could not do anything as Poseidon grabbed her Deepest Harpoon once again, firing off a blue energy slash that slices through G4's helmet, breaking it completely to reveal a shocked and stunned Xavier underneath it.

"I…I forfeit…" Xavier muttered as he collapsed onto his back from shock and fatigue.

Immediately the coliseum erupted in cheers, with the crowd celebrating Poseidon's shock win over G4. As Poseidon reverted back into Sunny, an ecstatic Wimpy went towards her, lifting her left arm in jubilation.

"And the winner is…" Wimpy said excitedly, "Sunny! Kamen Rider Poseidon has stunned Kamen Rider G4 in her debut fight!"

I smiled from the stands, clapping my hands slowly at my best friend's shock victory. I hope my own fight goes well too!

A jubilant Raksa came off from the stage and embraced the clearly weary yet happy Sunny, taking out his white Y-Gear as he showed its screen at my best friend.

"Your prize money," Raksa said, a smile appearing on his face, "Congratulations on your debut victory. Your win over Xavier is definitely one of the biggest shocks that our ring has seen so far and from those loud cheering; I can say that the audience has a new fan favorite now!"

"Thanks," Sunny replied in gratitude, taking out her own Y-Gear as she links it up with Raksa's to download her prize, "Looks like I'm going to get used to this."

As both Raksa and Eki returned back to the stage, Sunny took a moment to immerse herself at the crowd chanting her name, savoring every second of her sweet victory. Her eyes glanced at the gold stack and the Genesis Driver set for a few seconds, a brief grin forming on her face.

I know that grin all too well…it's exactly the same grin that she did before we tried to rob the Mystery Shack a few hours ago. Sunny, just what are you thinking right now?

"And now!" Wimpy announced once again, the sheer enthusiasm still audible in his voice, "Our second newest fighter will have her debut fight! Chan, you may choose your opponent."

Raksa's bodyguard led me off the stands and into the arena, before he gestured me to choose my opponent from the fighters who are waiting amongst the audience. My eyes immediately scanned the stands, in search for my perfect opponent, before I came across someone who I think I might be able to beat.

The person in question is a 16-year old Japanese boy, with white shoulder length hair and blue eyes, with a scar running down his left eye. He is now wearing a school uniform consisting of a black blazer, white button up, black slacks, and black sneakers. A white cloak and a white cross necklace around his neck completed the man's look.

A brief smile escaped my mouth as I saw that man. 'This is going to be easy,' I thought.

"I chose that man over there to be my opponent!" I exclaimed, pointing at man who obviously looked startled at my sudden decision to choose him.

The crowd erupted into cheers upon hearing my exclamation, while Wimpy showed off that excited smile of his yet again as he grabbed his microphone.

"And Chan has chosen her opponent! Today she will face Kaito Fukumine, one of your youngest fighters, in her debut match!" Wimpy exclaimed.

The boy, Kaito, exchanged nods with an older man sitting next to him, before he made his way into the arena. The crowd chanted Kaito's name as he leapt over the railings separating the stands and the arena, before he went face-to-face with me.

"Two young fighters with equal strengths are going head to head on our arena today!" Wimpy announced again, "This is going to be a tight one, but one will surely come on top!"

"Thanks for choosing me as your first opponent," Kaito said as he shook hands with me, allowing me to see two, ornate-looking rings on his ring fingers, "I may be one of the arena's youngest fighters, but you should not underestimate you."

"Don't worry," I smirked, "I won't take you lightly."

"Alright, gather round," Wimpy signaled or both me and Kaito to approach him, "You two know the drill. You've got five minutes to fight and you may fight untransformed or transformed. If you choose to go all the way untransformed, the one who knocks out his or her opponent wins. If you choose to transform, the one who causes the other to de-transform wins. Got it?"

"Crystal clear," I said, while Kaito just nodded.

"Good," Wimpy nodded, before he grabbed his microphone again as he faced the audience around him, "Now let's get ready to rumble!"

"Let's just cut to the chase, okay?" Kaito said, placing his right hand against his waist, "I have a school meeting later this evening."

Kaito's right hand has a silver ring on his ring finger, the ring colored silver with a black stone on its center, the stone engraved in a shape of a hand with red trimmings on the fingers. The moment Kaito places his right ring finger against his waist, a white glow appeared from the ring as a silver and black belt materializes around Kaito's waist, it's hand-shaped buckle colored black with red trimmings.

 **DRIVER ON, NOW!**

"Going straight into the Rider fight, eh?" I said, placing my Sengoku Driver against my waist, the straps securing the device nicely, "The pleasure's mine."

I took out my Melon Lockseed and clicked it open, as Kaito turned two handles on his belt to turn its hand-shaped buckle towards the left.

 **MELON!**

 **SHABADOOBI TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBI TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

Kaito showed me his ornate black and gold ring on his left ring finger, flicking down the ring's visor attachment so that the ring's stone now resembles a black and gold helmet, " **Henshin**."

" **Henshin!** " I exclaimed, throwing my Melon Lockseed into the air before catching it as the Melon Armor Part slowly descended down the Crack above my head. I then swiftly installs the Melon Lockseed into my Sengoku Driver, before locking it in place.

 **LOCK ON!**

As Japanese horagai music was played from my Driver, Kaito swiped his left hand against his belt buckle, while at the same time I sliced open my Lockseed with my Cutting Blade.

 **CHANGE, NOW!**

 **SOIYA! MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!**

Kaito swung his left hand into the air, prompting a huge golden magic circle to appear above the boy. The magic circle then descended down on him, transforming Kaito into his Rider form.

Kaito's Rider form resembles an armored magician, colored gold and black with an ornate-looking golden visor and a helmet that resembled a pointed hat. This is Kamen Rider Sorcerer, the main villain of the movie _Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land_. When Kaito said to me to not to underestimate him, he's not kidding – Sorcerer's one of the most powerful Riders that I've seen and a force to be reckoned with!

As my Zangetsu armor snaps itself into place around me, I took a chance to give Sorcerer's armor a look, trying to find the guy's weak spots. With my visor glowing to signal the completion of my transformation, I saw Sorcerer taking out another ring, placing it on his right hand, and shifted his hand-shaped buckle to the right, before scanning the ring on the buckle.

 **CONNECT, NOW!**

Another golden magical circle appeared on Sorcerer's right, which the Rider plunges his right hand into. He then pulls out an axe that resembled a sorcerer's staff from the magical circle, the Dis Halberd. Spinning the golden-bladed weapon as the circle disappeared; Sorcerer immediately pointed the weapon at me.

"Your move, Chan-san," Sorcerer said.

No time to find this guy's weakness; let's just bash my way through him in hopes that he'll reveal it to me by himself!

I immediately grabbed my Musou Saber and Melon Defender, the two of us charging at each other with our weapons ready. Sorcerer went in first, slashing his Dis Halberd towards my chest, but I immediately used my Melon Defender to protect myself. But before I could even have the single chance to pull out my Musou Saber for the offensive, Sorcerer kept on banging onto my Melon Defender with his Dis Halberd, apparently hoping that I would drop my guard for him to take advantage.

"C'mon, Chan-san. Don't play turtle," Sorcerer said as he kept on attacking my Melon Defender, before he lets out a bored sigh as he took out yet another ring, "Man, you should be ashamed of yourself. If you kept on defending throughout the fight, when will you attack?"

 **BLAST, NOW!**

A wave of golden energy washed over the Melon Defender, swiftly dislodging it from my hand before the wave struck my body completely, sending my flying backwards.

As I tried my best to land on my feet, I started to think on what Sorcerer had just said. Don't play turtle. Even though this man is one of the most powerful Riders out there, I should not be afraid to land an attack. I'm using the powers of one of the strongest Armored Riders out there for God's sake! I should prove to the world that I can do my own battles and not just rely on Sunny!

I glanced at my fallen Melon Defender, pondering on whether I should get it or not, but I decided to screw it and went towards Sorcerer with only my Musou Saber in hand.

 **(Cue BGM: -unfinished- - KOTOKO)**

"So, you've decided to attack?" Sorcerer asked, scanning his ring on his belt once again, "Then take this!"

 **BLAST, NOW!**

The golden energy wave came towards me once again, but this time I was prepared. Letting out a loud yell, I slashed my Musou Saber at the incoming wave, literally splitting it into two much to the surprise of Sorcerer and the audience! As a pair of explosions erupted between me, I kept moving forward, undeterred by the continuous energy waves that Sorcerer had fired at me as I deflected them away with the blade of my Musou Saber.

The audience cheered me on despite having explosions from Sorcerer's attack rocking the area from all directions, adding more fuel to my already burning spirit. The moment I found myself close to Sorcerer, I immediately slashed the golden Rider repeatedly much to his surprise, sparks flying from where the Musou Saber had hit Sorcerer.

Sorcerer, seeing that I've already upped my ante, decided to take immediate action by grabbing his Dis Halberd in hopes that he would match my swordplay. For a good 30 seconds we clashed our weapons, before the Dis Halberd emerged victorious due to its humongous size, easily disarming me of my Musou Saber. But I didn't stop there; I kept on going with my fists as I landed a couple of good punches onto Sorcerer's chest. The golden magician retaliates by swinging his Dis Halberd at me, but I somehow managed to catch it by its blade, much to Sorcerer's clear shock.

"You said that I should attack, right?" I taunted as I gripped the blade of the Dis Halberd even tighter, "Let me show you the power of the one who will slay the moon!"

With a loud yell, I tossed the Dis Halberd aside, allowing us to fight evenly with our bare hands. I punched Sorcerer twice on the helmet, before kicking the gold and black Rider on the chest. Coughing in pain, Sorcerer slowly backed away, taking out another ring before scanning it on his Driver.

 **DUPE, NOW!**

Several copies of Sorcerer were materialized from golden magical circles around Sorcerer, each of them eager to have a piece of me. But I won't let Sorcerer have his way easily.

Dodging the clones' energy attacks, I quickly grabbed my Melon Defender and tossed it at the clones, the weapon slicing through each clone like butter, before it hit the real Sorcerer on his chest, sending him flying from the sheer force.

"The finisher!" I exclaimed, slicing my Lockseed three times before leaping to the air.

 **SOIYA! MELON SPARKING!**

Assuming a bicycle kick pose, I let out a yell as green energy began to accumulate on my right boot, ready to smash the daylights out of Sorcerer.

" **Mujin Kick!** " I yelled, landing my Rider Kick right onto Sorcerer's chest, sending the golden magician flying into the stands.

 **(BGM ends)**

I landed gracefully on the arena as Sorcerer groggily stood up on the stands, his armor shattering away to reveal a battered Kaito, who passed out immediately to the wild cheers of the audience around him.

"And we have a winner!" Wimpy yelled excitedly as he came towards me, lifting my left arm, "The winner of this match…Chan!"

I let out a small smirk as the arena erupted into celebrations around me, I could easily see Sunny clapping for me on the stands, a pleased smile on my best friend's face.

"CHAN! SUNNY! CHAN! SUNNY!"

The audience chanted our names, cheering over our victories in our respective battles. It feels so good to hear them saying out your name like that, especially after all that you've been through. The fact that we've beaten opponents who are much more experienced than us adds more to that great winning feeling, that ecstasy that you've feel when you've been crowned champions.

Yeah, I think that we could get used to this.

 **xxx**

It's been four days since Sunny and I have arrived at Tokusat City and it has also been four days since we started fighting in Raksa's arena. Over time we honed our skills with each fight and we earned a lot of money from our winnings, even more than our usual monthly allowance! But after every fight that she won, Sunny always gave that lustful look towards the pile of gold and the Genesis Driver set that Raksa has placed on his table overlooking the coliseum arena for the overall winners, as if she's plotting something. Could it be my best friend's plotting to steal all of those for herself? Only God knows what's going on inside her head.

Today we're having a tag battle against David Hernandez and Ethan Roanoke, better known as Kamen Riders Dark Kabuto and Tyrant. They're both decent fighters, with Dark Kabuto pulling off his Clock Up stunts whenever we had an opening and Tyrant utilizing his brute strength over anything else, but our teamwork and days of practicing and fighting together gave us the edge over the two Riders and now we're ready to finish them off.

Blue energy swirled into Poseidon's Deepest Harpoon as she leapt into the air, before she thrusts her weapon at the weakened Dark Kabuto's abdomen, sparks flying into the air as the black Rider was forced to his knees, his Dark Kabuto Zecter flying off from his belt as he reverts back into David.

At the same time, Tyrant presses on his Genesis Driver's lever once, causing a surge of red energy to leave his Dragonfruit Energy Lockseed and into his right fist. At the same time, I sliced my Lockseed twice, green energy surging from my Sengoku Driver to my left fist.

 **SODA! DRAGONFRUIT ENERGY SQUASH!**

 **SOIYA! MELON AU LAIT!**

The two of us threw identical punches at each other with our energized fists, both of them hitting our respective targets as sparks flew from where our arms crossed. A brief yet tense silence ensues, before suddenly Tyrant's armor disappeared in motes of red light, reverting back into the African American man that is Ethan Roanoke. Whilst his punch had missed my cheek by mere millimeters, mine had struck him right on his jaw, knocking Ethan out.

"And your winners!" Wimpy announced enthusiastically, "Kamen Riders Poseidon and Zangetsu! Sunny and Chan!"

 **xxx**

"That was some fight that we had, right Sunny?" I asked my best friend as the two of us had our dinner in our locker room. Raksa's bodyguard had bought us two packets of Indonesian-styled fried rice for our dinner and I have to admit, they're quite tasty.

Sunny didn't say a word at all, she instead continued on with eating her fried rice. Ever since we've won our tag battle, she has been silent, not like her usual talkative self. As her best friend, I knew that something's going on in her mind, especially after she gave yet another look at the gold and Genesis Driver set that Raksa has kept for the winners. Sunny's plotting something with them and I knew it!

"Cow, do you want to get the Hell out of here?" Sunny asked suddenly.

"Why?" I asked back as I munched on my fried rice.

"I don't think Raksa's keeping his word on us," Sunny replied, her expression serious, "I mean, look at this, Cow. If this is a normal fighting tournament, the ones that we've beaten are sure to be eliminated. But not this one. Yes, we are allowed to choose our opponents, but what's the point of having a tournament when those who we have defeated are thrown back into the stands for us to choose again? Didn't we beat Dark Kabuto and Tyrant individually before today? I took G4 out in my debut fight, but why the heck did I fought him again earlier today? It's like after we've beaten the ones that we've fought, we have no choice but to take on the Riders that we've defeated all over again."

"And you're implying?" I lifted up my eyebrows.

"Raksa's keeping all those gold and that Genesis Driver set for himself," Sunny said, "But not for long, Cow. 'Cause tonight, we're going to steal it."

I choked on my fried rice; apparently Sunny's last few words are too much for my mind to comprehend.

"We're going to do what?!" I gasped.

"Steal those gold bars and that Driver," Sunny smirked, "I've calculated that if we trade those gold for the money equal to their value, we would be filthy rich! And also we'll become more powerful with that Genesis Driver! I'm fed up in waiting for those sweet promises that Raksa gave to us. Aren't you fed up as well, Cow?"

I sighed, "Well, that's true…even though we've been earning quite a lot lately, but the longer I fought in this arena, I feel that things are getting…well boring. I mean we literally won all of our fights against the other Riders here. We've established ourselves as elites in this ring. But I wanted more…I wanted to challenge myself even further."

"Then feel free to hop onboard, Cow," Sunny patted me on the shoulder, "Meet me here in three hours, okay?"

Little that I know, in three hours, I was about to lose my best friend…forever.

 **xxx**

Later that night, I reluctantly waited for Sunny outside our locker room. A significant part of my mind is telling me to bail out of this plan, that Sunny's being completely driven crazy by those gold bars and Driver set, and I should stay in Raksa's fighting ring for my own safety. But on the other hand, I can't just let my best friend pull off a stunt like that alone; I need to watch her back in case something happens. That, and a hidden desire to challenge myself outside this ring, got me into this scheme of Sunny's.

"Hey."

I swiftly turned around and saw Sunny slowly walking towards me. She's now dressed in black from head to toe, black shoes, black trousers, a black long-sleeved sweater, and a black wool cap on her head. Slung on her shoulder was a black duffel bag, which I presume is where she's going to place all of her loot.

"You ready, Cow?" Sunny asked me, "You know, if you wanted to stay out of this, you can bail now and return back to our room. But if you're going to get the Hell out of here with me, I'm more than happy to let you go with me. It's your choice, Cow."

I thought for a few seconds, before I gave Sunny a nod, "I'll go with you, Sunny. You're my best friend, right? I'll stick with you until the very end."

"Good choice," Sunny smiled at me, patting me twice on the back, "Now let's go!"

 **xxx**

A few minutes later, we've sneaked our way into the coliseum arena. As I suspected, Raksa's bodyguards were nowhere to be found, as they are now sleeping in their respective rooms, leaving behind the gold pile and the Genesis Driver set lying idly on its table. Everything was quiet in the arena, with no soul other than ours in there.

I tried to made my way into the empty arena, only for Sunny to block my path, surprising me. Before I could ask anything, Sunny made a silent hush towards me, before she takes out a can of deodorant from her duffle bag. Sunny then sprayed the deodorant can on the arena in front of her, revealing a complex set of laser wires standing between us and our prize.

"Holy fuck!" I cursed underneath my breath.

"Thank God I stopped you," Sunny whispered, "You could have triggered the alarm if you marched on recklessly like that."

Silently we tip-toed our way across the arena, trying our best in avoiding the laser wires from making any contact with our body. As an experienced street dancer, Sunny had no problem making her way through the wires with her flexible body, but I had a different story. I wasn't as trained in flexibility as Sunny does, meaning that I had a slight struggle with the wires. But thankfully my best friend managed to help me several times through them and before we know it, we're now face to face with our prize.

"Amazing…" Sunny muttered as she gazed upon the gold pile in front of her, her eyes beaming in joy as she imagined them in her possession, "This is it, Cow! Our ticket out of here! Now help me hold this bag for me."

I obliged and took Sunny's duffel bag from her, quickly opening it up and holding it open. Without any hesitation Sunny immediately dived into the gold pile, chucking the gold bars one by one into the awaiting duffel bag while I acted as a lookout just in case someone sees us. For a full five minutes Sunny placed the gold bars into the duffel bag, before finally placing both the Genesis Driver and the Melon Energy Lockseed into it, which I zipped shut immediately afterwards.

 **xxx**

After sneaking our way through the arena once again, both Sunny and I immediately left the coliseum, using a pair of bolt cutters to pry open the door separating the coliseum from the Salty Spittoon, before making a dash towards freedom.

"We did it!" I grinned in jubilation, but at the same time trying to hold myself from shouting, "We're gettin' out of here!"

"We're not out of the woods yet, Cow," Sunny reminded, "We need to get out of this spittoon first, before navigating our way through the slums around this place. Once we've done those, then we can consider ourselves free."

"And where do you bitches think you're going?"

Our blood froze once we saw that our only exit out of this entire fighting ring madness is being blocked by a familiar female figure, who immediately slapped on a black belt around her waist the moment she saw us. The belt's buckle was rectangular in shape, vertical in position with a black center and rimmed with rusty gold metal. A deep-pitched disco tuned echoed immediately from the belt buckle the moment the belt has secured itself around the figure's body.

The figure was Eki, Raksa's bodyguard and girlfriend. And she looked unimaginably furious, unlike her usual cold self. Streaks of white hair are seen on her head, while her amber eyes are glowing eerily in the darkness of the room.

"You two think that you can steal Raksa's gold and get away with it, don't you?" Eki asked us again, her voice slowly distorting into that of a male's, "You do realize that I have the power to watch everything that has happened in this place? Why do you think Raksa made me his bodyguard at the first place?"

"Watch everything? What are you talking about?" I asked, before suddenly it hits me, "You're not human, aren't you? Just…who are you?"

"Your judge, jury, and most importantly…executioner," Eki said slowly, taking out her black and bronze rectangular object that she had showed us when we first met, before uttering this in a very dark tone, " **Henshin**."

 **SKULL FORM!**

Once Eki swiped the rectangular object across her belt buckle, the object lets out a pale yellow glow before exploding into a series of black and bronze particles, which stuck onto her body. The particles formed a black and silver bodysuit on Eki's body, with rusty black armor on the chest, gauntlets, and shin-guards, while a black and bronze skirt hung low from her belt and around her legs. Ghostly blue flames began to appear around Eki's transformed form, which materializes into black and bronze armor pieces that snapped themselves onto Eki's bodysuit. The chest armor is now covered in a pair of black armor with rusted grey accents, a bronze zipper-like construct sealing the pieces together in place. The black shoulder-pads are emblazoned with the same bronze zipper constructs, making them look like a pair of rusted crocodile heads that stuck out from the shoulders. Last but not least, two large black armor pieces assembled themselves onto the bodysuit's head region, forming a large, black visor that resembled a huge pair of sunglasses, with an eerie skull-themed jewel embedded on the forehead, a pair of ghostly horns coming out from the skull and forming the helmet's antennas. And as a final touch, a rusty bronze scarf themed after a railroad is wrapped around the neck region.

Eki has transformed into her Rider form, Kamen Rider Yuuki, Skull Form!

"This is bad," I muttered, biting my lower lip as I took out my Sengoku Driver, "Guess we need to fight our way out of here, eh?"

"Yeah," Sunny nodded, taking out her Poseidon Driver, "Let's just waste her and get the fuck out of here!"

 **MELON!**

 **SAME! KUJIRA! OOKAMIUO!**

 **SOIYA! MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!**

Transforming into our Rider forms, we faced Yuuki with our weapons in hand, the Melon Defender and Musou Saber for me, and the Deepest Harpoon for Poseidon. Yuuki, on the other hand, took out her own weapon – a rusty-looking machete with a jagged blade.

"Let's go," Yuuki said coldly, before she went straight towards us.

Poseidon took the first initiative by attempting to stab her Deepest Harpoon onto Yuuki's chest, but the black and bronze Rider easily parries away the incoming weapon with her machete, leaving her open for me to perform a surprise jumping slash with my Musou Saber. But much to my surprise, before my Musou Saber's blade even made contact, Yuuki quickly parries my incoming attack with her machete. Her speed was completely inhuman!

"Child's play," Yuuki cracked her neck, "Go on, try me once again. Dish out your best attacks at me!"

"With pleasure!" Poseidon replied, rushing towards Yuuki with her Deepest Harpoon in hand.

Poseidon lets out a loud yell as she slammed her Deepest Harpoon's blade against Yuuki's shoulder twice, only to have her attacks shrugged off easily by Yuuki. Not giving up, my best friend executed more slashes with her Deepest Harpoon, but all of them ending in failure as Yuuki remained on her feet, she didn't even moved an inch despite all the attacks that she'd received!

"My turn," Yuuki said darkly.

Before Poseidon could react, Yuuki landed a powerful punch on her chest that sends her stumbling back, before a devastating diagonal slash to her right shoulder ensues. As I looked on in horror, Poseidon yelled out in pain as she clutches her now injured shoulder. Such devastating power is stored within Yuuki's machete and I think that weapon could easily smash through my Melon Defender with ease!

"Your turn, melon brat," Yuuki said, pointing her machete at me.

Undeterred by what I just saw, I immediately charged into battle, yelling loudly with my weapons in hand. Quickly I swung my Musou Saber towards the now standing Yuuki, only for my weapon to be easily parried away by Yuuki's machete. Pushing me away from her, Yuuki quickly landed a couple of slashes with her machete at me, prompting me to quickly protect myself with my Melon Defender. Sparks flew out each time Yuuki's machete made contact with my Melon Defender, coupled with a series of deafening bangs that caused pain in both my and Poseidon's heads. Strangely enough Yuuki was unaffected by all of this.

What is she anyway? A robot? An alien? A monster? Not only that her moves are inhumanly quick, the strength of her slashes are also unimaginable by human standards and she doesn't seem to be affected by all the sparks and noises around her. It's like we're literally fighting a juggernaut here!

My train of thought was soon derailed abruptly when a bang, louder than the earlier ones, was heard, and I could feel a huge chunk of my Melon Defender slowly falling off into the floor below me.

Oh snap.

Letting out an inhuman roar, Yuuki slashed her machete several times at me, chipping off chunks of my chest armor each time she does so. Pain racked throughout my body with each slash, while blood slowly seeped out from the places where Yuuki had slashed her machete at my chest armor. Damn Rider actually slashed through my Ride Wear with each attack!

Yuuki finished her onslaught on my with a straight jab on my face, sending me flying into a nearby pillar. The black and bronze Rider lets out an evil laugh as I struggled to stand up, groaning in pain as I coughed up some blood. My right visor cracked a bit before shattering away, revealing my bloody right eye. When will this brutal beat-down end?

"And now, the finisher," Yuuki said, her machete on her right hand as her left hand is now holding the rectangular object from before. She then proceeds to scan the rectangular object against her belt buckle.

 **FULL CHARGE!**

A burst of pale yellow energy surged from the belt buckle and into Yuuki's machete, the weapon's jagged blade glowing pale yellow seconds afterwards. As I regained my footing, I could see Yuuki slowly advancing towards me, raising her machete up into the air as she's more than ready to finish me off once and for all. I slowly closed my eyes, ready to accept my fate as Yuuki stood right in front of me, lowering her machete quickly towards my helmet.

"Cow!"

I heard my best friend's voice calling out for me, before a large object pushed me off my feet. A loud clang was heard, with a loud cry of agony following seconds afterwards.

Slowly I opened my eyes and I was soon treated with the most horrifying sight that I've ever seen.

Kamen Rider Poseidon had pushed me out of the machete's way, receiving the full brunt of Yuuki's finisher as the machete is now embedded on her chest armor. Blood can be seen trickling down from the weapon's blade, dripping on the floor slowly.

Yuuki let out yet another inhuman roar as she grabbed onto her machete tightly, before performing a final slash that sliced through both Poseidon's torso and her Poseidon Driver, destroying it instantly. As I watched on in horror, Yuuki pulls out her machete before giving Poseidon a solid kick. Before my own eyes, I saw my best friend tumbling down on the floor, her armor disintegrating away to reveal a mortally wounded Sunny, with a deep vertical slash wound that runs from her chest towards her waist.

"Sunny!" I called as I rushed to my dying best friend's side, reverting back into my badly injured civilian form as I does so, "Sunny, hang in there!"

"No…C…o..w….it's…too…l-late…" Sunny stammered, her breathing becoming shorter and shorter with each word, "G-grab…the…g-go-ld…a-nd…th-e…D…ri…v..e…r…se…t…a…n..d…get…the…Hell…ou-t…of…he-re…"

"Not without you, Sunny!" I cried, grabbing onto my best friend's hand, "We're best friends, remember? We've gotten ourselves into this mess together, and we're getting out of it together!"

"It's…o…kay…C-ow…" Sunny lets out a weak smile as she releases my grip on her hand, "You…can…sur-vive…I…kn…ow…you…c-an…"

I then notice Yuuki slowly walking over towards us, her machete still in hand. Sunny weakly pointed towards the abandoned duffel bag on the floor, motioning me to pick it up. Realizing that I don't have much time, I immediately grabbed the bag and slung it over my shoulders.

"Be strong…Cow…" Sunny said weakly as she gestured me to get out of the premises as soon as possible, "Find…some…one…as…strong…as…you…and…fight…along..side…them…stop…this…war…be-fore…more…innocent…victims…fall…"

I could only give out a weak nod; a huge part of me is unwilling to leave my best friend behind. But with the direness of the situation, I realize that Sunny was right. I need to save myself. As I made my way towards the exit, I watched on in horror as Yuuki slowly picked up Sunny's dying body, before proceeding to hack her arms off with that dreaded machete. I cringed in horror and sorrow as Sunny lets out an agonizing yell, before a quick slash silenced her…forever. A loud splatter of blood splashed against a nearby wall as Sunny's now lifeless head rolled slowly on the floor.

"You're terminated," Yuuki muttered, before she turned her attention towards the exit, only to find that no one's there, "So melon brat has decided to run, huh? I'll deal with her later…"

 **xxx**

I ran as quickly as I could away from the Salty Spittoon, trying to fight off the pain raging throughout my body as I made my way towards the Crackton district border, feeling that I would be safe outside the slums. My Sengoku Driver is still wrapped around my waist, with the Melon Lockseed there as well, while the duffel bag is safely in my possession.

Once I felt that I've ran far enough, I slowly slip into a dark alleyway, learned myself against a wall, before burying my face into my hands and crying my heart out. I've just witnessed my best friend sacrificing her life to save me, before seeing with my own eyes how Kamen Rider Yuuki brutally ended my best friend's life. Sadness, sorrow, and rage all went wild inside of me, and I instantly know what I need to do next.

I need to seek my revenge.

 **xxx**

From there on, I explored Tokusat City by myself, but not after selling a bar of gold to sustain myself for the following week. I went from district to district, fighting a variety of monsters and Riders, all for the sake of making myself stronger in case I need to take on Yuuki once again. I also tried my best to test the strength of my fellow Riders, to see if they're strong enough to join me in my quest for vengeance. Thankfully my Y-Gear has an app called the _Rider War Network_ , which helped me in tracking down the Riders that I seek. But unfortunately, none of them has met my satisfaction.

 **xxx**

"Let's go, Momotaros!" called a young man, aged around 16 years old with messy grey hair, light green eyes, a healthy tan, and a not-so muscular build. He is now wearing a light blue trench hoodie with grey shirt, green camo pants, pair of brown fingerless gloves and white sneakers.

Standing next to the young man is a red horned male humanoid, resembling a Japanese demon of some sorts. Black flame markings are seen all over the humanoid's body, while his black eyes gleamed underneath the sunlight. A permanent grin was etched onto his face, which suits the humanoid's hot-blooded, prideful, and unpredictable personality.

" _ **Yosh, ikuze ikuze ikuze! Let's do this Altze-kun!**_ " Momotaros clapped his hands in delight.

Altze, the young man, lets out a nod, before taking out a black, rectangular object from his hoodie pocket. Momotaros transformed himself into a red glow that entered into the object, before Altze takes out a white belt with a red, square-shaped buckle. Altze secured the belt on his waist, before turning his attention towards his opponents – a group of green, pupa-shaped creatures called Worms.

" **Henshin!** " Altze exclaimed, swiping the rectangular object against his belt buckle.

 **SWORD FORM!**

As a group of red particles appeared around Altze, I slowly snuck up on him, hiding myself within the bushes growing behind the young man. Taking out my Y-Gear, I took a glance on Altze's Rider data.

"Altze Yumehashi, Kamen Rider Den-O…" I muttered as I switched my glances back and forth from my Y-Gear to the newly transformed Kamen Rider Den-O in his default Sword Form, bearing that iconic red and white peach-themed armor over that black bodysuit of his, "He uses the same system as Yuuki's. Wonder if he's as strong as that monster…"

 **xxx**

 **15 minutes later**

 **LOCK ON! 1! 10! 100! 1,000! MELON CHARGE!**

" _ **AAAAAKH!**_ "

Den-O was thrown across the battlefield after receiving the full force of my Musou Saber's charged slash, his armor disintegrating the moment he touched the ground.

"How weak," I shook my head in dismay as I slowly ran my fingers on the blade of my Musou Saber, "You don't deserve to fight alongside me."

" _ **Who would want to fight with a bully like you?!**_ " Altze asked angrily as he went towards me, his now red eyes glaring daggers with mine. His messy grey hair is now styled in a spike with red streaks in them.

"Should I remind you that this is a war?" I asked back with a stern tone, returning Altze's glare with a glare of my own, "If you don't fight, you won't survive. Now beat it. I don't want you in my sight."

Muttering in anger, Altze stormed off from the area, defeated and utterly humiliated by my superior fighting skills.

 **xxx**

Day after day, I searched for Riders through the _Rider News Network_ and challenged them for a fight with me. But all of my fights with them ended in the same way – me curb-stomping them to the ground.

 **xxx**

A blue, dragonfly themed Rider fired its dragonfly-themed gun at me in desperation, but much to its dismay, I easily sliced up the incoming bullets with my Musou Saber. And before the dragonfly Rider could react any further, I threw my Melon Defender at the Rider's head, knocking the Rider to the ground. A mechanical dragonfly flew away from the Rider's gun, causing the Rider's armor to broke away in a series of blue hexagons, revealing an unconscious 21-year old young Thai woman, with an average yet athletic build with light brown skin, black eyes and shoulder length chocolate brown hair. She is now wearing a pink shirt underneath a cyan and black jacket with an insignia on the right shoulder, along with blue denim jeans, sandals, and a black glove over her right hand.

"Ma Yeen Mintty, Kamen Rider Drake," I said as I stood over Mintty's unconscious body, "Team leader of the newly formed Celestial Being faction…but an utter disgrace by my standards."

"You bastard!"

I turned around to see a silver Hercules beetle-themed Rider with red eyes standing behind me, with an axe weapon on its right hand. A silver, mechanical Hercules beetle is perched on a black brace strapped on the right wrist.

"Arthima 'Nan' Chavananttinant," I said, "Better known as Kamen Rider Hercus, Celestial Being's rescue expert. Do you think you have what it takes to beat me? I just wrecked your leader a few seconds ago."

Hercus didn't say anything; instead she immediately grabbed her axe tightly and charged towards me. Letting out a sigh, I sliced my Lockseed once.

 **SOIYA! MELON SQUASH!**

Hercus swung her axe at me, but I swiftly ducked underneath it, allowing green energy to accumulate on the blade of my Musou Saber.

" **Melon Musou Zan!** " I exclaimed, slashing my Musou Saber onto Hercus' abdomen.

Hercus backed away from me, clutching her abdomen in pain as she knelt down on the ground. The mechanical Hercules beetle flew away from her brace, causing her armor to disintegrate into silver hexagons. In Hercus' place is a 19-year old young Thai woman, her face contorted in pain from the injury that I had inflicted a few seconds earlier. The woman is rather chubby with a short build with white skin, brown eyes, and shoulder length dark brown hair that is usually tied into a ponytail. She is now wearing a white shirt underneath a silver and black jacket with an insignia on the right shoulder, along with black trousers, sandals, and a small pin of the flag of Thailand over her right chest pocket.

"Yet another disgrace," I muttered, ignoring the fact that Nan is glaring daggers at me, "I'm wasting my time here."

Nan tried to speak, but the pain raging through her body had overwhelmed her to the point of her collapsing to the ground as I slowly left the two Thai women to their own devices.

 **xxx**

Disgraces, utter disgraces. I don't know whether it was my skills that have skyrocketed thanks to my time in Raksa's ring of Hell, or the Riders are holding themselves back against me. But every time I fought a Rider, I couldn't feel their strength equaling that of Sunny's. They may say that I've set the bar too high, but personally, I need someone who is at least as strong as the late Sunny and me, or even stronger, because I can't bear to face Yuuki again all by myself.

Which brings us to today, where even though I'm pitted three against one, I've managed to hold the upper-hand against the Riders of Nexus.

 **xxx**

 **SOIYA! MELON SQUASH!**

" **Melon Musou Zan!** "

After parrying Savior's weapons with my Melon Defender, I immediately went in for the kill, slashing my Musou Saber vertically across the black and blood red Rider's chest armor. Sparks flew from where I had hit Savior with my weapon, as my opponent stumbled back in pain before falling on his back, his armor disappearing in motes of blood red light.

But it's no time for me to relax, as Dark Drive attempted to slash me with her Blade Gunner. Using the Melon Defender once again to protect myself, I immediately sliced my Lockseed twice.

 **SOIYA! MELON AU LAIT!**

" **Melou Blast!** " I exclaimed, throwing my Melon Defender at Dark Drive, stunning her for a few seconds, allowing me to deliver a powerful charged vertical slash with my Musou Saber. A faint image of a melon slice appeared briefly on Dark Drive before it exploded, knocking Dark Drive to the ground and forcefully cancelling her transformation.

 **DAI KAIGAN!**

 **GAN GAN MIRO! GAN GAN MIRO! GAN GAN MIRO!**

Having changed into her warlord-themed Nobunaga Damashii a few minutes into our fight, Specter aimed her Gan Gun Hand in its Rifle Mode configuration at me, a number of energy duplicates of the weapon flanking the Rider. Seeing that I had briefly dropped my guard, Specter immediately pressed her weapon's trigger.

 **OMEGA SPARK!**

The Gan Gun Hand and its duplicates fired several blue energy blasts at me in unison, but unknown to Specter, I was prepared for such a thing. Immediately I set up my Melon Defender, protecting myself from the salvo of blasts, and allowing me to slice my Lockseed three times.

 **SOIYA! MELON SPARKING!**

Tossing aside my Melon Defender and Musou Saber, I leaped into the air, assuming a bicycle kick pose with green energy surging into my right boot.

" **Mujin Kick!** " I exclaimed.

Specter had no time to retaliate as my kick smashed onto her chest, sending my opponent flying into a nearby tree, her transformation canceled the moment she touched the ground.

I landed gracefully after executing my Rider Kick, letting out a victorious yet disappointed smirk as I looked at each and every Nexus member sprawled helplessly around me.

"Nick Gishi. Nguyen Minh Trang. Ayano Hirano," I said, shrugging off the glares that the Nexus members are giving me, "You three are the members of Nexus, an organization of three powerful Riders operating to eradicate the injustices in Tokusat City. But you are no match to the standards that I've set up. Now fuck off! I don't want to see you scum hanging around me."

"We won't forget this humiliation!" Nick growled as he stood up, before helping Minh Trang and Ayano back to their feet, "I promise you…Nexus will give you a much deserved retribution!"

And with that the members of Nexus retreated away from the battlefield, defeated, utterly humiliated, and bearing a grudge against me.

Great, just great. What have you gotten yourself into this time, Chan? You've made a lot of Rider enemies in your journey. Pretty sure that right now in the _Rider War Network_ , there's a lot of Riders planning for my downfall.

Not wanting to have the prospect of Nexus or any other Riders that I've defeated exacting revenge on me bothering my mind and since it's already late, I slowly made my way towards a park bench on a nearby fountain, and slept there.

 **xxx**

 **The next day**

I was awoken the next morning by the sound of weapons clashing and arrows flying through the air. It all lasted for a good five seconds, before a series of explosions prompted me to investigate.

Slowly rising up from my bench, I saw four Riders standing near the fountain, several scorch marks can be seen clearly on the ground. I can guess that these Riders had just finished fighting off some kaijins in the area and they had come across my resting place by accident. Taking out my Y-Gear, I immediately went for the _Rider War Network_ app to identify the Riders in front of me.

Since their armors were based on fruits, I can tell that they're Riders from _Gaim_ and they're using both Driver models shown in the series. Two Riders, colored red and based on a banana and an apple, are using Sengoku Drivers, while the other two, colored blue and pink and based on a lemon and a peach respectively, are using Genesis Drivers. I could easily identify three of the four Riders – the banana-themed one as Kamen Rider Baron, the lemon-themed one as Kamen Rider Duke, and the peach-themed one as Kamen Rider Marika. A quick check into my apps tells me that the apple-themed Rider's name is Kamen Rider Idunn. I've only watched _Gaim Gaiden_ a few times, that's why I've forgotten about the apple Rider's name even though I've saw that Rider before.

As I silently approached the four Riders to investigate them, I could slightly overhear their conversation.

"No signs of Linh," Baron said in a male voice that is somewhat familiar to me.

"That's strange," added Duke in a female voice, which also struck a chord of familiarity in my mind, "Nozomi said that her friend saw her in this very park…"

"Maybe she's living the nomadic lifestyle here?" asked Marika, her voice also familiar to my mind, "I mean, she could be moving from place to place here in search of somewhere that is safe."

"In a world filled with monsters and warring Riders, I think that sounds quite logical," Idunn said with yet another familiar female voice, "But at least we got to kill some Inves to train ourselves."

The four Riders closed up their Lockseeds, causing their armor to fade away in motes of light. And immediately my eyes are treated with a sight that is beyond my belief.

Standing in the four Riders' places are my friends that went missing from my university before my arrival in Tokusat City, three of them are even my Japanese classmates!

Standing in Baron's place is my Indonesian classmate Krishna Sadhana, while my fellow Vietnamese classmates Le Thao Minh and Nguyen Phuoc "Two" Khanh Linh are Kamen Riders Duke and Idunn, respectively. I didn't know Tran Bao "Wind" Quyen that much, but from what I've known so far, the identity of Kamen Rider Marika is Minh's best friend.

Overwhelmed by shock, surprise, the feeling of seeing some familiar faces after quite a while, and also the desire to test these Riders' strengths, I slowly made my way towards them, trying to hide my overwhelming feelings from the four. And boy, do they look surprised at my sudden appearance!

"Chan?" Krishna gasped as he saw me, "Is that you?!"

"What are you doing here?" Minh asked, "Are you a part of this as well?"

"Are you okay?" this time it was Two asking that question at me, "Did anyone hurt you? You kinda looked weary."

I immediately gestured them to stop talking, before proceeding to ask my own questions as well, "My questions first. What are you guys doing here? And since when are you Riders?"

"Isn't that obvious? We've been dragged here from our home to fight in this war between Kamen Riders," answered Krishna, "And judging by the looks of it…you're a Rider too, right?"

I nodded slowly, "Yes I am. And so was my best friend."

"Sunny?" Two gasped, "She's here too?"

"Was here," I replied sadly, "I arrived here with her and spent my first few days here with her. But unfortunately…she sacrificed her life to save me from another Rider. She was brutally killed."

Krishna, Minh, Wind, and Two went silent after hearing that. Minh and Wind looked down in solemnness, closing their eyes as they pay their respects to my best friend, while Krishna and Two looked at me in disbelief.

"It can't be…" Two said, struggling to say anything, "Sunny's…dead?"

"So this war has claimed its first victim…" Krishna muttered sadly, "Chan…we're sorry for your loss."

"And that's exactly why I've been traveling around this city, looking for strong Riders to fight alongside me to stop this senseless war," I told my friends, clenching my right fist in determination as my burning vengeance against Kamen Rider Yuuki started to surface, "And also…I wanted to avenge her death by defeating the Rider who killed her, once and for all!"

"And what are you going to do?" Krishna asked.

Immediately I pointed at Krishna, "I'm going to challenge you on a one-on-one fight! Are you strong enough to fight alongside me?"

Krishna chuckled, taking out his Banana Lockseed from his Sengoku Driver before twirling it on his index finger, "Let's see about that, Chan."

"I've gotta warn ya," I said, slapping on my own Sengoku Driver before taking out my Melon Lockseed, "I've spent the last few days traveling around this city, fighting a number of Riders and defeating all of them easily. Can you give me a fight that is worth my time?"

"Challenge accepted," Krishna smirked, "You're looking for a strong Rider to fight, right? Then I'll grant you your wish."

Two, Minh, and Wind immediately backed away from me and Krishna, allowing us to have our battle without any interruption.

 **MELON!**

 **BANANA!**

As we unlocked our Lockseeds, our respective Armor Parts came out from their respective Cracks, hovering above our heads as we installed our Lockseeds onto our Sengoku Drivers.

 **LOCK ON!**

 **LOCK ON!**

Krishna's Sengoku Driver played its triumphant European fanfare music, while my Sengoku Driver played its Japanese horagai music. Both Krishna and I looked at each other, determination flaring up from our eyes as we prepared to battle.

" **Henshin!** " we yelled in unison, slicing our Lockseeds at the same time, prompting our Armor Parts to fall onto us.

Our battle….has started.

 **xxx**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **xxx**

 **A/N: In the words of the legendary KSIOlajidebt at the end of his Football Rap Battles…IT…IS…DONE! The sixth chapter of the first arc of the Kamen Rider War Side Stories. I hope you guys enjoyed it! And many apologies for the lengthy delay – as usual college assignments and a slight writer's block has prevented me from working on this as soon as possible, but being the longest, most action-packed chapter that I've written so far (the action's so good I didn't even bother to split it like before lol), I really hope that this is worth the wait (yes, Chapter 6 has overthrown Chapter 5 as the longest chapter of this story by a huge mile lol). I've also brought up a lot of OCs for this chapter! Kudos to NecroGodYami for letting me use Jovany/Lance, Xavier/G4, and Kaito/Sorcerer, Gadget the Critic for Nick/Savior, Lily/Aqua, and Jack/Kabuki, Dash master 48 for Hiro/Abyss, as well as Unicorn 359 for Altze/Den-O. And we got to see more of my own OCs in action as well – Anjani/Ryugen Yomi, Reza aka. Mikhail/Bujin Gaim, Eki/Yuuki, Mintty/Drake, Nan/Hercus, and last but not least, our co-star Sunny/Poseidon. Our next chapter will be solely focused on the battle between Krishna and Chan, who will prevail in the battle between the Armored Riders? Plus Nexus will make their return with a vengeance! Expect lots of action as the two Rider groups will have their first clash with one another! Just a head's up, I'm going to have my finals from the end of January until the beginning of February, so I won't be making Chapter 7 until then. As usual, leave your kind reviews!**

 **This is maxpower02 signing off!^_^**


	7. Krishna vs Chan

**A/N: AND I HAVE RETURNED! maxpower02 is back after spending some time in "finals hell" and my writing fingers are itching to continue with this story! But before I start, as usual, review replies! Between the time I posted Chapter 6 and the time that I'm writing this A/N as we speak, I only received 2 reviews from AdamJY and A fearsome warrior respectively. Kinda disappointing because I expected more._. but then again Chapter 6 is a huge one and maybe some people got put off reading it midway through. Lesson learned, Krishna, don't write it too long and don't expect too much lol. Okay, back to our review reply time, for AdamJY, I'm very sorry for you laptop and I hope that I'll get fixed as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'm still looking forward to reading your Halia story and I wish you good luck in making it. Take your time, because I'm not that kind of person who demands you to finish it as soon as possible lol just work on it when you have time and inspiration, okay? ;) and to A fearsome warrior, thank you so much for your wishes, finals sure is tough and I barely made it out alive. Regarding the other Rider groups, Nexus had made their appearance ever since Chapter 5 and they're going to appear again in this chapter. Celestial Being, I've made a small mention of them in the previous chapter, while in this time being the Serpent's Hand is not yet formed. H.E.L.P? Dunno, but if the plot's possible I'll try my best to sneak them in.**

 **Right, now with that out of the way, let's talk about Chapter 7. Thankfully my idea bank inside my brain has told me that this chapter won't be as monstrous as the previous chapter and I guarantee that it won't put off people from reading it. Being told from a 3** **rd** **person's point of view, it'll kick-off from the cliffhanger from the previous chapter, where Tran Ngo "Chan" Thuy Trang, otherwise known as Kamen Rider Zangetsu, has challenged Krishna Sadhana/Kamen Rider Baron to a one-on-one fight. Who will win in this battle between the Armored Riders? Will it be the one who will slay the moon? Or will it be the Knight of Spear? Let's find out!**

 **P.S. I strongly recommend you to read NecroGod's Kamen Rider War before you read this. Otherwise you wouldn't get the story :p**

 **Alright, without further ado, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any other series that I crossover.**

 **xxx**

Both Chan and Krishna stood in front of each other, their eyes locked against each other as Chan placed her Sengoku Driver over her waist, while Krishna's has been strapped around the young man's body since a while ago. The two friends are holding their respective Lockseeds on their right hands, Chan with her Melon, while Krishna has his Banana.

"I've gotta warn ya," Chan said as she secured her Driver, "I've spent the last few days traveling around this city, fighting a number of Riders and defeating all of them easily. Can you give me a fight that is worth my time?"

"Challenge accepted," Krishna smirked, "You're looking for a strong Rider to fight, right? Then I'll grant you your wish."

As the two friends prepared to battle, Two, Minh, and Wind quickly backed away towards a nearby fountain. The trio, along with Krishna, had arrived at the park about 15 minutes ago and killed off the Inves wreaking havoc in the area, only for Chan to suddenly show up in front of them and challenging Krishna to a one-on-one fight. Respecting their friend's wishes, the trio decided to watch the battle from a safe distance so that they won't interfere with it at all.

 **MELON!**

 **BANANA!**

As their respective Armor Parts hung over their heads, both Chan and Krishna placed their Lockseeds onto their respective Drivers.

 **LOCK ON!**

 **LOCK ON!**

As their Sengoku Drivers played their respective standby music, both Chan and Krishna looked at each other once again, determination can be seen flaring up from their eyes.

" **Henshin!** " both Chan and Krishna yelled in unison, slicing their Lockseeds at the same time.

 **SOIYA! MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!**

 **COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR~!**

With his Banaspear in his hands, Kamen Rider Baron immediately charged into battle, raising the weapon into the air before slamming it down towards Kamen Rider Zangetsu, only to be blocked immediately by the white Rider's Melon Defender.

 **xxx**

 _ **KAMEN RIDER WAR – THE SIDE STORIES**_

 **xxx**

 **(Cue Opening: Virtue and Vice – Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas)**

 **(Instrumentals)** _The screen opens to reveal a close-up of Kamen Rider Baron. As the guitar begins to riff, the screen alternates between shots of Baron's gauntlets, chest armor, shoulders, back, and Sengoku Driver, before the drum begins to play with the story title appearing in front of a silhouetted Baron, with silhouettes of Duke and Marika standing on Baron's right side, and silhouettes of Zangetsu and Sigurd standing on Baron's left side. A scream was heard as Baron's silhouette raises his Banaspear and slashes the title, rushing into battle with the other four Riders flanking him._

 **(Don't know what's being misunderstood, missiles flying children getting shot)** _Krishna kicked and punched several Elementary Inves at an empty stage, with white strobe lights flashing as he does so, before it ends with Krishna brandishing his Banana Lockseed at the screen._

 **(Swindles everywhere, people who should be the most loved ones, killing each other)** _Chan and Meika standing back to back with each other in front of an orange screen before they walked in opposite directions as a red line began to split the screen, focusing on the girls' stoic faces before focusing on the Melon Lockseed in Chan's hand and Cherry Energy Lockseed in Meika's, before the line slides itself in a diagonal position and splits the screen open to show Wind relaxing underneath a tree, playing the Peach Energy Lockseed in her hand._

 **(Once you keep an eye off, things get stolen)** _The scene shifts to Minh lying in a rather "suggestive" position in a pool of blood, the camera scrolling up from her legs towards her body before reaching her head, the scene then switches to a close-up of Minh's face, her expressionless eyes staring at the Lemon Energy Lockseed in her right hand, a few patches of blood tainting the object._

 **(The world is like this, the world that we don't know, the unknown world)** _The scene switches to an abandoned storage room, with an office table lying in the middle of the room. Two is seen tinkering with her laptop on the table, before she slowly looked up towards the camera, before the scene fades to Kamen Rider Idunn standing against a black background, with the camera filming Idunn's right side, before it switches towards Idunn's front side, with a shroud of grey covering her entire left side. The camera slowly zooms towards Idunn's head which was looking down, before she suddenly lifts up her head, her visor glowing._

 **(Out of our hands, it doesn't matter, covering up, acting like you don't see a thing)** _The scene then changes to Nozomi walking down an alleyway alone on the way to school, before it switches to Nozomi sitting idly as her friends chatted around her, looking out the window as she stared at the clear blue sky outside._

 **(If you think it's a different thing, you won't notice that the world you live in is)** _The scene then switched to the Chaos Insurgency's hideout, where Krishna is staring the clear blue sky from the window of the hideout, while his teammates are busy playing darts on the background. Suddenly an alert message flashed onto Krishna's Y-Gear, prompting everyone to run out of the hideout._

 **(Instrumentals)** _Shots of the Chaos Insurgency members running are shown frame by frame, each lit by a different color (red for Krishna, blue for Minh, pink for Wind, white for Chan, green for Meika, and yellow for Two)._

 **(Look at it, oh yeah!** ) _The scene switches to Kamen Rider Mars stepping out towards a large plaza, several Dark Riders are seen behind him._

 **(The world is all linked together)** _Krishna and the other Chaos Insurgency members ran up towards the incoming Dark Riders, with their Lockseeds in their hands and their Drivers on their waists. Krishna exchanged looks with his teammates, before he unlocks his Banana Lockseed as the screen fades into yellow._

 **(Save our loved ones and the world (** _ **hey hey because breaking**_ **))** _Kamen Riders Sigurd and Gaoh clashed together as Kamen Rider Idunn takes on Kamen Rider Tyrant, both Riders using their Sonic Arrow and Sword Bringer respectively to counter their opponents' respective weapons._

 **((** _ **down the piled wood castle is easy)**_ **These peaceful days lasting is a wish)** _Kamen Rider Zangetsu defends herself with her Melon Defender from an incoming slash courtesy of Kamen Rider Yuuki, before slashing the skeleton Rider with her Musou Saber._

 **(** _ **hey hey these peaceful days, continuing is just like a wish**_ **)** _Kamen Rider Marika is engaged in a shootout with Kamen Rider Psyga, while Kamen Rider Duke takes on Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto in a melee brawl._

 **(Because I have no idea, how many tickets "to live today" are left)** _Kamen Riders Baron and Mars rushed towards each other, performing identical Rider Punches towards one another that sends them stumbling backwards._

 **(Even at the time when you were playing cards, somewhere in this world)** _As the Dark Riders falter back, the Chaos Insurgency Riders gather around, with the Genesis Riders huddling behind Baron, who uses his Banana Sparking to energize his Banaspear. He then stabs the Banaspear onto the ground, creating a series of energy bananas that skewers the Dark Riders as the screen fades into white._

 **(Somebody is crying)** _The scene flashes from white to show Kamen Rider Gaim Yami leading a group of Riders towards the Chaos Insurgency Riders. Baron slowly made his way towards Gaim Yami, the two Riders reaching their hands towards each other, before they finally touch as the scene fades into white and the song ends._

 **xxx**

 **Arc I: The Chaos Insurgency**

 **Chapter VII: Krishna vs. Chan**

 **As told from a 3** **rd** **person's point of view**

 **xxx**

Baron and Zangetsu had battled each other for five whole minutes, neither of them getting the upper hand over each other. Each swipe from the Banaspear were countered by the Melon Defender, while Zangetsu's Musou Saber slashes were parried away instantly by Baron's quick use of his weapon, using it as a makeshift shield. In terms of hand-to-hand combat the two were equal – on paper Zangetsu's the stronger one of the two but Krishna's experience and training had turned Baron into a force to be reckoned with and he's able to keep up with Zangetsu's physical blows.

Eventually Zangetsu decided to end this stalemate and after deflecting away an attack from the Banaspear with her Melon Defender, she immediately ditched her shield and her Musou Saber, opting to take out another Lockseed in her arsenal.

The Lockseed is based on a grape, colored purple with the code **L.S-09**. Immediately Baron gave out a shocked gasp once he saw the Lockseed in Zangetsu's hand.

"That's!"

"You've entertained me quite well, Krishna. You're holding out on your own, which is quite impressive since I usually defeated my opponents within seconds," Zangetsu commented as she unlocked her new Lockseed, "But it's time to up the ante. Can you keep up with my firepower?"

 **BUDOU!**

Zangetsu took out her Melon Lockseed, causing her armor to disappear in motes of green light, leaving her in her white Ride Wear. She then installs her Budou Lockseed on her Sengoku Driver, before quickly slicing it.

 **LOCK ON!**

 **SOIYA! BUDOU ARMS! RYU, HOU, HA-HA-HA!**

Descending down from the Crack above Zangetsu is a purple, grape-themed Armor Part, which fell onto Zangetsu's shoulders before unfolding and snapping itself into place, a splash of purple energy completing the transformation.

Zangetsu's new armor no longer boast its usual Japanese samurai theme, instead it now displays a Chinese warrior motif. The chest armor, colored silver, has several purple circles rimmed in gold stacked on top of each other, giving an impression of a bunch of grapes. The shoulder armors are now purple in color with an Oriental-theme to it, while the helmet, despite retaining the golden curved horns from the samurai-themed Ride Wear, has a Chinese-themed design on the back of the helmet as well as the "ears," the helmet's visor now glowing purple. Materializing on Zangetsu's right hand is a grape-themed handgun with a barrel that resembled a Gatling gun's, the Budou Ryuhou.

Seconds after assuming her Budou Arms, Zangetsu opened fire on Baron, peppering the still shocked banana Rider with a hailstorm of purple bullets that stunned him.

"Krishna!" Minh called out from the sidelines, concerned for her friend's wellbeing as he was being continuously fired upon by Zangetsu and her Budou Ryuhou.

As if that's not enough, Zangetsu quickly grabbed her Musou Saber and opened fire with it as well, covering Baron in a series of sparks and explosions. Zangetsu then proceeds to fire both her Budou Ryuhou and her Musou Saber at the still struggling Baron, causing the red Rider to yell out in pain as explosions and sparks surrounded his body.

After a few seconds of firing, Zangetsu lowered her weapons, allowing the smoke to clear away to reveal a weakened Baron, trembling on his knees.

"Is that what you've got?" Zangetsu taunted.

A tense silence fell over the area, with Baron still silent on his knees as Two, Minh, and Wind watch on worriedly. Suddenly the silence was broken by a slight chuckle.

"Right back at ya, mate," Baron kept on chuckling as he slowly stood up, his Banaspear gripped firmly on his right hand, "Is that what _you've_ got? Because that was nothing by my standards."

As if answering Baron's taunting, Zangetsu opened fire with both her Budou Ryuhou and Musou Saber once again, but this time Baron was ready. He quickly uses his Banaspear to deflect the bullets away from him, causing them to strike the surroundings instead.

Wind even let out a surprised shriek when a bullet from the Budou Ryuhou zinged by her just a few inches above her head.

"Krishna, watch it!" Wind yelled, before ducking once again as yet another bullet flew above her head.

Deflecting the last of the bullets, Baron swung his Banaspear towards Zangetsu, swiftly disarming her of her Musou Saber before landing a couple of hits on the white Rider's chest with his weapon. However Zangetsu was unfazed, and she swiftly retaliates by punching Baron once on the left cheek before opening fire once again, the bullets of the Budou Ryuhou striking Baron on the chest.

Zangetsu swiftly sliced her Lockseed once, before pulling the green tab on the back of her Budou Ryuhou.

 **SOIYA! BUDOU SQUASH!**

A number of purple energy orbs began to gather in front of the Budou Ryuhou's muzzle, forming a bunch of grapes in front of the weapon.

" **Dragon Shot!** "

As Baron recovered himself from Zangetsu's earlier attack, the white Rider pulled on the trigger, firing a large purple energy ball from the Budou Ryuhou. The energy ball configures itself into an Asian lung's head, before it crashes onto Baron's chest, sending the red Rider flying into a nearby tree, much to the horror of Two, Minh, and Wind.

"It's over," Zangetsu said, lowering her Budou Ryuhou as she approaches the fallen Baron, "You put up a great fight…but in the end…you're just as weak as the other Riders that I faced."

But much to Zangetsu's and everyone's surprise, a slight groan was heard from Baron, followed by heavy breathing and a heavy growl.

"Did…you…just…call…me…weak?!" Baron growled, slowly standing up to his feet as he willed himself through the pain raging throughout his body. He then went towards his Banaspear, which had been thrown out of his hands when he was hit by Zangetsu's Dragon Shot finisher, grabbing the weapon tightly before pointing it at Zangetsu, "Let me tell you this, Chan…I…Krishna Sadhana…will not go down that easily! I…I will prove to you that I'm strong enough to be in this war!"

"That's Krishna to you," Two commented as she, Wind, and Minh watched on from the sidelines, "Never giving up, never allowing himself to yield to anyone, and always having that spark of determination within him."

"And who taught him all of that?" Minh winked at Two, earning a giggle from the latter.

"He's a natural, really," Two chuckled, "He already has that determination, that never-back-down attitude, that desire to be stronger for the sake of others from the beginning. My training only enhances and polishes all of that."

Back to the battle between Baron and Zangetsu, the latter lets out a slightly sarcastic chuckle after listening to Krishna's words, "You're telling me that you're going to prove to me that you're strong enough to be in this war? Krishna, Krishna, Krishna…I've literally beaten you to a pulp so far and you could only land a couple of good hits on me, neither of them enough to weaken me. Do you really think that you can withstand much more punishment from me?"

"If that what it takes to prove my strength to you, yes," Baron replied, gripping his Banaspear tightly with determination.

Zangetsu laughed again as she took out yet another Lockseed, this time based on a mango, colored in a nice gradient of red and yellow with the code **L.S-11**. Baron's blood immediately froze upon the sight of the Lockseed.

"The Mango Lockseed!" Baron gasped.

"If I recall, in _Gaim_ this very Lockseed is part of your arsenal, right?" Zangetsu asked as she took out the Budou Lockseed from her Sengoku Driver, causing her armor to disintegrate in purple motes of light, "Now, this very Lockseed will ensure your inevitable defeat!"

 **MANGO!**

A Crack opened above Zangetsu and a mechanical mango slowly descended down from it, colored in the same gradient of red and yellow as the Mango Lockseed. The white Rider immediately installs the Lockseed onto her Driver, before slicing it open.

 **LOCK ON!**

 **SOIYA! MANGO ARMS! FIGHT OF HAMMER~!**

The Mango Armor Part fell onto Zangetsu's shoulders, configuring themselves onto the Rider's white Ride Wear before snapping themselves onto place, a splash of yellow and red energy signals the transformation's completion.

Zangetsu's Mango Arms looked very bulky and muscular, colored mostly red with yellow mango cubes on the abs and shoulder armors. Like before the helmet retains Zangetsu's samurai-themed horns and visor, but now with a pair of yellow, downward-curving horns on the sides of the helmet and a small, yellow-colored Mohawk on the top of the helmet, giving an impression of a medieval warrior, while a small yellow cape flowed from the back region of the armor. As Zangetsu's yellow visor glowed into life, a large, long-handled flanged mace with a spiked tip materializes in the Rider's hands, the weapon's head styled after a diced mango. This is the primary weapon of Mango Arms, the Mango Punisher.

Letting out a grunt, Zangetsu slowly marched towards Baron, swinging her Mango Punisher at the red Rider. Baron swiftly avoids the weapon, only for it to impact against his right shoulder, sparking off a whole new wave of pain throughout his body. This leaves Baron open for attack as Zangetsu bashes her Mango Punisher at the Rider's back, knocking the banana Rider to the ground. Before Baron could recover, Zangetsu swiftly kicked him, rolling him over and leaving his abdomen open for several bashes from Zangetsu's Mango Punisher.

Baron was then forced to his feet, before Zangetsu smashes her Mango Punisher onto his chest, causing him to stumble back. Not letting Baron to recover for even a second, Zangetsu quickly charges towards Baron, bashing her Mango Punisher against his chest, before with a quick heave he was sent flying. As Baron yelled and flailed helplessly during his descent, Zangetsu sliced her Lockseed once.

 **SOIYA! MANGO SQUASH!**

Yellow energy swirled and gathered on the head of the Mango Punisher as Zangetsu gripped the weapon tightly. Once the plummeting Baron is within her range, Zangetsu lets out a loud yell and heave as she swung the energized Mango Punisher onto her falling opponent, swatting Baron away like a baseball being hit by a baseball bat.

" **Punish Mash** ," Zangetsu said stoically after she had hit Baron with her Mango Arms' finisher.

Letting out a yell of pain and agony, Baron was sent flying against a nearby tree, snapping it in half underneath his weight.

"Krishna!" Minh called out, horrified by what she had just seen. Immediately she took out her Lemon Energy Lockseed from her jeans pocket, her eyes glaring at Zangetsu, "That's it, I'm going in."

"Wait!" Two called out, grabbing Minh by her right shoulder, "This is a one-on-one fight between Krishna and Chan. You mustn't interfere."

"But if we don't do something, Krishna will surely be killed!" Minh protested.

"Minh-chan…it's okay."

Two, Minh, and Wind turned their attention towards Baron, who is slowly and groggily standing up to his feet, "Like Two said, this is a fight between us and us only. You, along with Wind and Two, must not under any circumstances interfere with this fight."

"Krishna…" Minh said slowly.

"Besides," Baron lets out a pained chuckle, "I think I have a pretty good idea on what Zangetsu's weakness is. Just trust me, okay?"

Minh nodded, "Okay Krishna. I believe in you."

Replying Minh's words with a weak nod, Baron slowly made his way towards Zangetsu, his hands trembling as he grabbed his Banaspear, which once again had been dropped to the ground after he was hit by Zangetsu's Punish Mash finisher.

Zangetsu was instantly left gob smacked by this turn of events, since she was certain that her Punish Mash had ended Baron's resistance.

"But how?!" Zangetsu gasped, "You shouldn't be able to fight again after receiving that!"

"You know what they say," Baron smiled weakly underneath his helmet, "Sometimes pain makes you even stronger."

 **(Cue BGM: Never Surrender – TEAM BARON)**

Ignoring the pain ravaging his body, Baron immediately charged forward, his Banaspear ready in his hands. Zangetsu promptly gripped onto her Mango Punisher tightly, ready to bash the stubborn banana Rider into submission. But much to her surprise, Baron suddenly slid down on the ground, his right feet extended and heading straight towards Zangetsu's right ankle!

"Ack!"

Zangetsu groaned in pain as she fell to the ground after receiving the full brunt of Baron's sliding tackle, much to the amazement of Two, Minh, and Wind.

"Targeting the legs because they're the source of Zangetsu's balance," Two commented, "Krishna Sadhana, you genius!"

"He did told me that he played football once back home in Indonesia," added Minh, "Guess all that training paid off, huh?"

Zangetsu groggily stood up, letting out a slight groan of agony afterwards as she limped. Apparently Baron's tackle had injured her right ankle, just as the red Rider had planned.

"What the fuck did you just do to me?!" groaned Zangetsu.

"Your strength relies on your balance," Baron replied, preparing his Banaspear before he slashed Zangetsu once, "All of your finishers, they rely on your two feet planted on your ground for an added momentum. Your Budou Arms finisher needs it for aiming stability, while your Mango Arms finisher needs it to plant your weight to the ground so that you can lift that heavy weapon of yours with ease," Baron slashed Zangetsu once again, sparks flying as the Banaspear made contact with the Rider's chest armor, "But now, since I've taken out one of your ankles, you're literally hobbling on the ground right now."

Zangetsu tried to swing her Mango Punisher at Baron again, only for the incoming attack to be easily avoided by Baron performing a simple duck. Before Zangetsu could struck again, Baron went for the offensive first, striking his Banaspear several times onto Zangetsu's torso, before wrapping up the combo with a roundhouse kick to the head that knocked Zangetsu on her bottom.

"The finisher!" Baron exclaimed, slicing his Lockseed once.

 **COME ON! BANANA SQUASH!**

A large yellow energy banana was formed on the Banaspear, before Baron quickly swung the energy banana at the recovering Zangetsu, sending her flying a few meters away before landing on the ground with a loud thud, her armor disintegrating into motes of green light to reveal a battered Chan. The young woman writhed in pain as she clutches her injured ankle, all while giving a look of sadness, pain, and anger at Baron, who is now slowly approaching her.

 **(BGM ends)**

"What are you waiting for, Krishna?" Chan asked as Baron stood next to her, tears slowly flowing out from her eyes, "Kill me. Right here and right now. You deserved this victory…you humiliated me in battle, in fact! And I…I…I don't deserve to live. My best friend Sunny has died to protect me, but I couldn't live up to her expectations of being the strong Rider that she wishes me to be. I…I'm not strong enough for this war, Krishna. I've traveled around Tokusat City, looking for Riders strong enough to fight alongside me, but the moment I fought you, Krishna…I didn't just found a Rider whose strength is on par with me…I found a Rider that utterly humiliated me, reduced me into shambles! I don't deserve to fight alongside you, Krishna…I'm too weak for your standards. So now…just kill me. Kill me so that I could join Sunny at the pearly gates up there…away from all of the pain that this war has inflicted me…"

Baron remained silent as Chan cried her heart out in front of him. On the sidelines, Two, Minh, and Wind watched on intently, the latter two having been told of Krishna and Two's encounter with Nick Killian/Kamen Rider Ouja when they first arrived at Tokusat City, where Krishna almost killed the Dark Rider for his crimes before Two stopped him.

Will Krishna once again fall into the temptation of finishing off his weakened opponent?

The three girls' fears were almost confirmed when Baron reached for his Sengoku Driver, but instead of hitting the Cutting Blade, he closes up his Banana Lockseed, causing his armor to disintegrate into yellow motes of light, revealing an even more bruised and battered Krishna. The young man weakly offered his hand to the sobbing Chan, a weak smile appearing on Krishna's face.

"Chan…it's okay," Krishna said, "Being defeated doesn't mean that you're weak. It means that you need to improve yourself to be stronger, because your opponent has managed to exploit that one weak spot that you didn't know. Defeats are self-discovery, you can train yourself time and time again after your defeat in order to get to know your weak spot even better…and to make it up for it, so that in future battles, you won't be defeated that easily again. And…if I could be honest to you…your friend up there? She would be proud of your display in our battle. She would be proud that you've finally found someone strong enough to fight alongside with. It's the matter of enhancing your skills and patching up your weaknesses that is important. So Chan…I'm giving you an offer. Fight with us and we can guarantee that you'll be safe and well-protected throughout this war. We will even find the one who had killed your best friend for you and we will do our best so that you can avenge her. How about that?"

Two, Minh, and Wind smiled at the sight in front of them. Not only that Krishna has spared the injured Chan, he also gave her a chance to fight alongside them as a sign of respect and admiration for her strength.

'He sure has changed a lot since our first fight together,' Two commented in her thoughts.

Chan slowly wiped her tears away, a small smile appearing on her face, "Krishna…do you really mean this?"

Krishna nodded, "A man always sticks by his word, Chan. We're your friends, Chan, and always will be. Besides, you're also a very precious friend to us all. So, would you like to join us?"

Chan slowly looked around to see that Two, Minh, and Wind had joined her and Krishna, the three girls also smiling warmly at her. She then looked back towards Krishna, as yet another pair of tears had formed in her eyes, but this time, it was tears of happiness.

"I…I don't know what to say…" Chan stammered, wiping her tears away once again, "I…I need some time to think. Just give me some time alone, okay?"

"Sure," Krishna nodded, taking out two items from his jeans pocket and giving it to Chan, "Here's a Sakura Hurricane Lock Vehicle, and a tuna mayonnaise onigiri. You haven't eaten at all this morning, right? Then have this to regain your strength."

"Thank you," Chan smiled as she accepted the items, "I'll let you know when I've made up my mind, okay?"

"Sure thing," Krishna replied, giving out a weak wink at Chan.

Unknown to any of them, two pair of eyes has been watching the entire event from behind a series of bushes nearby, having been there ever since Krishna and his friends had arrived in the park to kill off the Inves there. Once Krishna and his friends left, the owner of the eyes made their hasty getaway too.

 **xxx**

 **10 minutes later**

"Krishna, are you sure that you can ride your Rose Attacker all the way to our hideout?" Two asked, "You're injured quite badly, you know."

"I'm sure," Krishna replied, giving Two a thumbs up, "I've been through worse. Besides, I've managed to ride my Rose Attacker all the way here, right? So going back to our hideout won't be a hassle."

Krishna, Two, Minh, and Wind had left Chan behind at the park and are on their way back to their hideout in Side 6 District, when Krishna decided to make a brief stop at the nearest gas station, since they needed to wait for Chan's confirmation on the offer that Krishna had given to her earlier. Immediately as they arrived at the gas station, Two, Minh, and Wind wasted no time in tending to Krishna's injuries. A cut lip, a couple of broken ribs, a fractured arm, a bruised back, and several smaller bruises, but Krishna's still going as strong as ever.

"By the way…are you sure about this?" Two asked again, placing a roll of bandage over Krishna's cut lips as she said so, "About letting Chan stick around with us? I mean…we're in a world where Riders fought Riders. Even though she's our classmate and friend, there's a possibility that she might stab our backs for the sake of her own survival."

"She's been through a lot, Two," Krishna replied as Minh applied bandages to his bruised back, "I can see it through her eyes. She has lost her best friend. She's been traveling around the city all by herself, burdening all of those sorrow and pain. And I can guess that other than Sunny, we're the only people that she knew who she met in this place. It's safe to say that…Chan needs us."

As if on cue, the sound of a motorcycle revving into the gas station was heard, attracting everyone's attention. A Sakura Hurricane slowly rolls into the group's resting spot, a familiar figure sitting on its seat. Immediately Krishna lets out a warm smile upon seeing the motorcycle's rider.

"I've made my decision, Krishna," Chan said, "I'm in. I'm coming with you guys."

Krishna grinned after hearing that, "Welcome to the club, Chan."

 **xxx**

After Krishna's injuries were all patched up and Wind installed a makeshift cast over Chan's injured ankle, the group decided to continue on with their journey back to their hideout. Along the way, Krishna and Two told Chan of their encounter with Kamen Rider Ouja, while Minh and Wind told her about how they met Kamen Rider Ghost and trained underneath her before liberating an entire district from the kaijin that ruled over it. The group also told Chan that during their first days in Tokusat City, a girl by the name of Nozomi Tojo helped them settle in, being the girl that Krishna and Two saved on their first day as well as the shrine maiden that Minh and Wind met during their days in the Daitenkuuji. Last but not least, they told Chan about their current mission right now – finding Thai Khuong Linh, a friend of Minh's and Wind's who is suspected to be thrown into this war between Riders at Tokusat City as well.

"…and that's how we ended up meeting you," Krishna finishes his story.

"And how about yours?" Wind asked, "What's your story so far, Chan?"

Chan went silent, her mind still trying to recall everything that has happened to her. Her encounter with Sunny, her robbing a tourist trap with Sunny, entering a fighting ring with Sunny…and last but not least…

…the death of Sunny.

"It's okay, Chan," Minh said, knowing what's going through Chan's mind right now, "If you don't want to tell us now, you can keep it until you feel that you're ready to let it out."

"No," Chan shook her head, "I believe you guys deserve to know everything. It all started when…"

Suddenly Chan was cut off by the sudden appearance of a black Mercedes-AMG GT with blue TRON-style lines emblazoned all across its body. The car immediately pulled itself into a stop right in front of the group's Lock Vehicles, barring their path.

" _Di tieu_!" Chan swore in Vietnamese (roughly translated as shit, by the way) as she saw the car in front of her, knowing the owner…or _owners_ of that car all too well.

Stepping out of the car are Nick Gishi and Nguyen Minh Trang, their transformation devices already strapped onto their bodies. Seconds afterwards Ayano Hirano joined them on her Machine Hoodie.

"You four!" Nick called out, pointing at Krishna and his friends, "You're currently harboring someone that we're having a massive grudge against. Hand her over to us so that she would receive our judgement, and you're free to go."

"And who the fuck are you supposed to be?" Krishna asked.

"My name is Nick Gishi," Nick introduced himself, "And these are Nguyen Minh Trang and Ayano Hirano. We are Nexus, an organization dedicated to eradicate the injustices of this world." Nick then proceeds to point accusingly at Chan, glaring at the girl with his vengeful eyes, "And we're here to avenge our humiliation at the hands of that girl…Tran Ngo Thuy Trang, Kamen Rider Zangetsu!"

" _Senpai_!" suddenly a loud gasp was heard, coming out of Minh's mouth, who is clearly surprised by Minh Trang's appearance in front of her, "You're here too?!"

"Minh, you knew someone from those three?" Krishna asked.

"Yeah," Minh nodded, "Nguyen Minh Trang, my _senpai_ at campus. She helped me with my orientation programs and introduced me to our campus' Vietnamese students association. Can't believe that you're in this too, _senpai_!"

"It's a long story, my lovely _kouhai_ ," Minh Trang said, "But first thing's first. Give us the girl and we'll leave you in peace."

"And what if we don't?" Krishna asked.

"We'll just pulverize your sorry asses," Nick simply replied.

Krishna sighed, "I don't know what kind of feud that Chan here has made with you three, but we're not going to let any of you touch a single hair on our friend's head! If you want her, you have to go through us!"

"Krishna…" Chan muttered, touched by what Krishna had just said.

"Fine," Nick shook his head, before he swiftly took out his Zakuro and Blood Orange Lockseeds, "Then consider yourselves enemies of Nexus!"

 **ZAKURO!**

 **BLOOD ORANGE!**

"Time for your judgement," Ayano added, materializing her Ghost Driver and taking out her Specter Eyecon.

"Minh…I'm sorry, but we need to do what we've gotta do," Minh Trang finished, taking out her Shift Next Special and twisting it, "Belt-san, you do the honors."

" _ **Start our mission**_ ," came the reply from Belt-san.

Nick places his Lockseeds onto his Driver, while Ayano plunges in her Eyecon into her own Driver and Minh Trang placed her Shift Next Special on her Shift Brace.

 **LOCK ON! LOCK ON!**

 **EYE? BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!**

" **Henshin!** " the trio yelled in unison, before Nick sliced his Lockseeds, Ayano pulled and pushed her Ghost Driver's lever, and Minh Trang pumped her Shift Car once.

 **HA! ZAKURO ARMS! KURUIZAKI SACRIFICE! HA! BLOOD ORANGE ARMS! JA NO MICHI ON STAGE!**

 **KAIGAN! SPECTER! READY GO! KAKUGO! DOKI DOKI GHOST!**

 **DRIVE! TYPE…NEXT!**

Transforming into their respective Rider forms, the Nexus members prepped up their weapons, the Savior Arrow and the Daidaimaru for Kamen Rider Savior, the Gan Gun Hand for Kamen Rider Specter, and the Blade Gunner for Kamen Rider Dark Drive. Undeterred, Krishna signals Minh and Wind to get off their bikes, before slowly getting off his own.

"Krishna, wait!" Chan called out, slowly getting off her Sakura Hurricane before she limped towards Krishna, "You're badly injured. Let me take over in this fight, it's because of me as well that we've gotten ourselves into this mess."

"Chan, it's okay," Krishna said, wincing a bit due to his injures, "You've got an injured ankle. It's too risky if you get into this fight. Let us take care of this. Besides, we wanted to prove to you that we're strong enough for you to fight alongside with."

Chan was left speechless by that, "Krishna…"

"I'll be fine," Krishna smiled, before he turned his attention towards Two, "Two, take care of Chan for us, okay?"

"Sure thing," Two nodded, getting off her Rose Attacker before she promptly escorted Chan to the sidelines.

"You ready, girls?" Krishna asked, slapping his Sengoku Driver onto his waist before taking out the Banana Lockseed.

"Ready as you are, Krishna," Minh replied, equipping her Genesis Driver and taking out her Lemon Energy Lockseed.

"Aye aye, Sir," Wind added, her Genesis Driver already secured and the Peach Energy Lockseed already in her right hand.

 **BANANA!**

 **LEMON ENERGY!**

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

" **Henshin!** " the three yelled in unison, before they quickly placed their Lockseeds onto their Drivers, causing their respective Armor Parts to appear.

 **LOCK ON!**

 **LOCK ON!**

 **LOCK ON!**

 **COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR~!**

 **SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FI-FI-FI-FI-FIGHT!**

 **SODA! PEACH ENERGY ARMS!**

Kamen Riders Baron, Duke, and Marika immediately grabbed their respective weapons once their transformations has been completed and now they're face to face with their respective Nexus opponents – Savior for Baron, Dark Drive for Duke, and Specter for Marika.

Two and Chan watched on from the sidelines as a tense silence fell over the area.

 **(Cue BGM: Raise your flag – MAN WITH A MISSION)**

With a resounding yell the six Riders charged into battle, their weapons clashing instantly before the three separated into three small groups scattered across the area, battling their opponents respectively.

Savior went on the offensive with both of his weapons, trying his best to exploit Baron's injuries to attack him. The first two slashes with the Savior Arrow and the Daidaimaru did landed on Baron's chest armor, but the third slash with both weapons was quickly countered by the Banaspear, before with a twirl Savior was forced to stumble back. Baron then struck Savior three times on the torso with his Banaspear's sharp tip, before the fourth strike clashed against Savior's left shoulder armor. Growling in anger, Savior fired off several red energy arrows, two of them kicked away into safety by Baron before the other three were deflected by the Banaspear.

"Tell me!" Savior yelled as he clashed his Daidaimaru with Baron's Banaspear, "Why are you so adamant in defending that girl! She had ambushed us and humiliated us like we were amateurs!"

"Because she's my friend!" Baron yelled back, pushing Savior off him as he said so, "And I! Will! Never! Forgive! Anyone! Who! Wants! To! Hurt! My! Friends!"

Yelling out in determination, Baron smacked his Banaspear against Savior's body without any mercy, disarming the Rider in the process, before a kick to the chin sends Savior collapsing on his back.

Meanwhile, Duke and Dark Drive are exchanging blasts from their respective weapons, albeit in a slightly reluctant manner.

"Why are you in this, _senpai_?" Duke asked, firing off several yellow energy arrows before dodging a series of blue energy blasts, "Why? You're not the type of person who would hurt a fly!"

"The same thing can be said for you, _kouhai_!" Dark Drive replied, avoiding the arrows before slicing the final one with the Blade Gunner, firing a series of shots afterwards, "You're a friendly girl, a soft-spoken personality, someone who is rather shy. And here you are, firing at your own _senpai_ like a skilled assassin. Tell me, _kouhai_ , did the war changed you?"

"No _, senpai_ ," Duke retorted, resorting to using the blades on her Sonic Arrow to perform a slash onto Dark Drive's chest, only for her opponent to block it with her Blade Gunner, "I didn't change at all. My will to survive is just stronger, I guess."

"I'm sorry that we had to meet again in the battlefield like this," Dark Drive said, pushing Duke away from her before attempting to slash the lemon Rider, only for the Sonic Arrow to get on the way, "But for the sake of my team, I'm going to give that girl a piece of my humiliation!"

"And as a friend of that girl, I'm going to protect her no matter what!" Duke replied, shoving Dark Drive out of her way before disappearing out of the black and blue Rider's sight.

"Hey!" Dark Drive yelled, surprised by her opponent's disappearance, "Where did you go?"

"Right here."

Suddenly Dark Drive was thrown off balance, clutching her lower jaw in pain as she was sent crashing against a nearby wall. Duke then materializes herself, having delivered a powerful uppercut to her opponent during her invisible state.

Shifting to the battle between Marika and Specter, the former had used her nimble speed and agility to dodge swipes from Specter's Gan Gun Hand, much to the black and blue Rider's frustration.

"Stay still will you!" Specter yelled, gritting her teeth in anger as every swipe that she made was avoided easily by Marika, the peach Rider retaliating by firing a series of pink energy arrows that hit Specter right across her chest, "That's it! If you wanted a shootout, then you'll get a shootout you little twerp!"

Specter took out a royal purple Eyecon, pressing its side button to cause the Eyecon's iris and pupil to roll out and to be replaced with the code **12** written in white. She then took out her Specter Eyecon and replaces it with the royal purple one.

 **EYE?**

A royal purple and gold Japanese warlord's jacket was ejected from Specter's Ghost Driver, dancing to the Driver's standby noise.

 **BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!**

Specter quickly pushes on her Driver's lever, causing its "eyelids" to open up, revealing a royal purple circle with a pair of tanegashima rifles crossed together on it.

 **KAIGAN! NOBUNAGA! WARE NO IKIZAMA! OKEHAZAMA!**

The warlord jacket immediately fused with Specter's bodysuit, as a black mask with a pair of purple tanegashima rifles crossed together was created on the bodysuit's faceplate. Now in her Nobunaga Damashii, Specter configures her Gan Gun Hand into its Rifle Mode and opened fire, firing several blue energy blasts at Marika.

Seeing the incoming attacks, Marika dodged the first two blasts, before the third one struck her by the chest, followed up by the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and then the seventh. With Marika down on the ground writhing in pain, Specter quickly scanned her Gan Gun Hand's eye insignia on her Ghost Driver, ready to finish Marika off once and for all.

 **DAI KAIGAN!**

 **GAN GAN MIRO! GAN GAN MIRO! GAN GAN MIRO!**

Several energy projections of the Gan Gun Hand in Rifle Mode appeared around Marika, each of them aiming at the downed pink Rider. With all of her weapons ready to blast the daylights out of her target, Specter pulls on her Gan Gun Hand's trigger.

 **OMEGA SPARK!**

Specter's Gan Gun Hand fired a salvo of blue energy blasts, with the weapon's projections doing the same thing as well. The blasts completely blanketed Marika in a series of huge explosions, a cry of pain was heard among the flames. As the flames and smoke died out, all that's left from Marika was a burnt scorch mark.

"That should do the job," Specter commented as she saw the scorch mark, the Gan Gun Hand's projections disappearing as she said so.

However, unknown to her, Marika had quickly rolled out of the way before Specter's Omega Spark had the chance to hit her, sneaking up behind the royal purple Rider as she's still gloating with her "victory."

"You wanted to hurt my friend? Why don't you eat this first?!" Marika said underneath her breath, taking out her Peach Energy Lockseed and placing it on her Sonic Arrow.

 **LOCK ON!**

Specter was immediately alerted to Marika's presence thanks to that announcement, but unfortunately for her, it's all too late.

 **PEACH ENERGY!**

Charging a huge amount of purple energy into her Sonic Arrow, Marika quickly unleashes a huge pink energy arrow that pierced through Specter's armor, knocking her off her feet in a huge explosion.

Groaning in pain, Specter's smoldering body soon joined both Savior and Dark Drive on the ground, with Baron, Duke, and Marika circling around them.

"Let's wrap this up!" Baron exclaimed, slicing his Lockseed three times as Duke and Marika pressed their Driver's levers twice.

 **COME ON! BANANA SPARKING!**

 **SODA! LEMON ENERGY SPARKING!**

 **SODA! PEACH ENERGY SPARKING!**

As Savior, Dark Drive, and Specter slowly stood up, they were greeted instantly by a jumping roundhouse kick from Baron, a dropkick from Duke, and a flying side kick from Marika. Baron's energized boot struck Savior on his right chin, leaving behind a yellow, banana-shaped trail as Savior collapses to the ground in a huge explosion. Meanwhile, Duke kicked through a series of lemon slices and struck Dark Drive right on her chest, while at the same time pink energy swirled into Marika's right boot, before it made contact with Specter's chest. The two Genesis Riders landed on the ground gracefully as both Dark Drive and Specter were engulfed in a huge explosion, signaling their defeat.

 **(BGM ends)**

Soon the fire and smoke cleared away, revealing the de-transformed and defeated Nexus members, bruises and cuts can be easily seen on their bodies while their transformation trinkets were scattered around them.

Gritting his teeth in anger, Nick grabbed his Lockseeds, Minh Trang's Shift Car, and Ayano's Eyecons, before he helped the two girls back to their feet.

"You bastards!" Nick spat at Baron, Duke, and Marika, his voice seething in anger, "You…you might have won today…but next time we meet…I'll make sure that we'll crush you into smithereens! You…and that melon bitch too!"

"And we'll be waiting," Baron replied sternly, before saying this in a bitter tone, "Till our paths cross again…Nexus."

Without saying any more words, Nick and Minh Trang boarded their car, whilst Ayano hops onto her Machine Hoodie. After giving out one last grudge-filled look at Baron, Duke, and Marika, the Nexus members drove away from the scene.

After the Nexus members had taken their leave, Baron, Duke, and Marika closed up their Lockseeds, causing their armors to disintegrate into motes of light. Immediately after he had de-transformed, Krishna collapsed to his knees, much to the horror of Minh, Wind, Two, and Chan.

"Krishna!" Minh called out, immediately holding Krishna by his right arm while Wind held him by his left arm, the two girls helping the young man back to his feet. At the same time Two and Chan came rushing towards the trio, the former bringing a bottle of water.

"Are you okay?" Two asked as she offered her bottle of water to Krishna, "Here, have something to drink. Your injuries must have finally caught up with you, huh?"

Krishna nodded weakly, accepting the bottle of water and gulping down its contents, before returning it to its owner. Taking two deep breaths, he slowly regained his composure, allowing Minh and Wind to let him stand by himself.

"Guess I shouldn't force myself, huh?" Krishna chuckled.

Suddenly Krishna felt something heavy embracing him, causing him to gawk slightly in surprise. He then quickly regained his bearings, to see that Chan's the one who had hugged him suddenly.

"What's the occasion?" Krishna laughed.

"I wanted to say thank you," Chan said, releasing her embrace on Krishna, "For standing up for me and for believing in me. I…to be honest I…I never believed that there's still people who are kind enough to me, who accept me as I am other than Sunny. But now thanks to you guys…you've given me a chance to believe again."

"Hey, that's what friends do, right?" Krishna smiled, before turning his attention towards his friends, "Now, let's go back to our hideout. We have a lot of catching up to do with Chan."

 **xxx**

As Krishna's group left the area on their Lock Vehicles, the same two pairs of eyes that watched over the group in the park suddenly made themselves known from a small group of bushes on the roadside. A slight rustle was heard and two familiar looking men emerged out from the bushes.

"That fucking traitor has apparently joined up with the Riders who kicked your ass, ese," David Hernandez said as he dusted himself off, the Australian serial killer that is Nick Killian next to him.

"Great. More reasons to be worried about," Killian sighed, "I heard that girl's quite a fighter in Raksa's ring. If that girl had allied herself with those two…we're in for a big trouble."

"More reasons for us to seek Yugane's help," David said.

Suddenly Killian punched David on his face, much to the young man's surprise. He then found himself being grabbed by the collar by the bloodthirsty Australian.

"Listen here you Latino punk!" Killian barked, "There is no way, no way in Hell that I'm willing to ally myself with that good for nothing golden brat! We stick to our initial plan…let's bide our time, observe those two on whatever they're up to, and when the time's right, we strike."

David sighed, wiping away the blood trickling out of his right nostril, "Fine. Have it your way, ese. But don't blame me for not telling you to seek Yugane's help when those Riders kicked our asses to the can."

Killian rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Let's go. I need some bloody whiskey right now."

 **xxx**

 **Later that night**

"Thanks for the filet mignon, good Sir. When you say it's the best in town, you're not kidding."

"You're welcome, Yugane-sama. It is our pleasure to be at your service."

Yugane nodded as the middle-aged waiter retreated back to the kitchen, bringing with him an empty plate that once boasted a delectable filet mignon steak. After the waiter had disappeared back into the kitchen, Yugane used his napkin to wipe away the remnants of his steak' sauce around his lips, before taking a sip on his Bordeaux red wine.

"Ah," the young man lets out a relieved sigh once he had finished drinking, "This is the life."

While your average Tokusat City citizen would sell themselves just for a night's dinner at _La-Vie-en-Rose_ , the city's most luxurious restaurant, for Yugane a trip there is just like a trip to your run-of-the-mill McDonald's. With a reputation to fear for as one of the city's best Riders and with his strong financial backing, Yugane is easily one of the most influential men of Tokusat City, and tonight he's having one of those "normal" dinners at the establishment.

Yugane was enjoying Tokusat City's night sky from his window-facing seat when suddenly the waiter showed up again, bowing politely in front of the young man.

"Yugane-sama, I have a message," the waiter said, "Three people are waiting to see you."

"Bring them in," Yugane replied.

The waiter bowed again before he makes his way towards the restaurant's main entrance. He reached for a small phone, dialed a few numbers, and talked for a few seconds, before hanging up the phone and opening the main entrance, allowing three battered and bruised people to enter the restaurant. Immediately Yugane recognized the people coming towards him, and he was utterly shocked by their state.

"You three!" Yugane gasped, "What happened?!"

"We got attacked," Nick replied, taking a seat next to Yugane as Minh Trang and Ayano sat near them, "But luckily despite the severity of the attack, we managed to retreat without any significant injury. And most importantly, the items that we wanted to give to you are still safe."

"So, you've already taken photos of her?" Yugane asked.

Nick nodded, "Yeah. It's just as you suspected – she's still alive. Ayano, show him."

Ayano nodded, taking out her Mobile Cobra and opening its photos application. She then gave the device to Yugane, who gave it a thorough look.

'I knew it…' Yugane thought as he scrolled through the photos, which depicted Steffi entering the Daitenkuji grounds with Minh and Wind, 'Steffi-chan…she's still alive and well in this place…'

"There's more," Nick said, handing Yugane his Y-Gear with its photos application open.

Yugane looked through Nick's Y-Gear, which displayed more photos of Steffi, this time depicting her transforming and fighting as Kamen Rider Ghost, 'I wonder…if she's still harboring a grudge at me…after what my parents did to her…'

Yugane then turned his attention towards the Nexus members, returning the Mobile Cobra and the Y-Gear to their respective owners, "Good work, you three. I'll transfer your payment to the three of you as soon as possible."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Yugane," Nick said, standing up from his seat and bowing politely in front of Yugane, Minh Trang and Ayano doing the same thing as well, "If you need us again, just call us."

"No probs," Yugane nodded, with the Nexus members replying with nods of their own too.

After politely saying goodbye to both Yugane and the waiter, the members of Nexus left the _La-Vie-en-Rose_ , leaving Yugane and the waiter to themselves once again. Gesturing to the waiter to bring out the desert, Yugane then proceeds to gaze upon the Tokusat City night sky once again, sadness and guilt slowly creeping into his heart.

'Steffi-chan…I'm sorry…for everything. I wish…I could meet you once again…and explain what happened…but I don't think you'd forgive me….Steffi-chan…after all this time…I still love you…'

 **xxx**

 **Two weeks later**

A Sakura Hurricane pulled itself into a stop near an abandoned pier somewhere in Tokusat City's Marina District, the city's seaside district. The motorcycle's rider is a young woman, aged around 18 years old with a tall and curvy figure, light brown skin, and long black hair with a red streak on it. She's now wearing a grey T-shirt with black shorts and white sneakers, and a pair of glasses can be seen on her face.

After she had configured her Sakura Hurricane back into its Lockseed form, the woman slowly made her way towards the pier, making sure that she's taking her steps carefully since age, seawater, and barnacles had eaten away on the pier's wooden floor. Navigating the almost broken-down boardwalk for about 5 minutes, the young woman had finally arrived at her destination – an equally rundown platform overlooking the sea, where two familiar figures, Raksa and Eki, had been waiting for her.

"Seriously you guys, can't you choose somewhere…safer for our meeting?" the woman asked once she had come face-to-face with Raksa and Eki.

"I'm sorry," Raksa replied apologetically, "Xavier, the Game Master, or the GM's heralds should not know about our meeting. They would prefer to keep these items for themselves…but since these items are really dangerous and…it would be more exciting if it falls into the hands of people other than them…we would like to present these items to the Junk Guild."

"Let me take a look," the woman said.

Raksa gestured to Eki to dig through his backpack, prompting her to do so and take out a white shoebox from inside the backpack. Eki then gave the shoebox to the woman, who examines it immediately.

The young woman opens up the box, a delighted smile appearing on her face, "The Poseidon Core Medals…Same, Kujira, Ookamiuo. All of them boasting incredible power since they came from the future."

"And that's not all," Raksa said, gesturing to Eki to pick up a red, harpoon-like weapon from the platform's wooden floor…Kamen Rider Poseidon's Deepest Harpoon.

"The Deepest Harpoon," the woman said in awe once she accepted the item from Eki, "A weapon capable of inflicting massive damage to whoever's foolish enough to stray into its blade's path! How much should we pay for these?"

"The Junk Guild are not entitled to pay anything to us," Raksa replied, "In other words, it's all yours for free."

"Really?" the woman's faced beamed with excitement, before she immediately assumed her usual formal demeanor, "I mean, thank you very much. Pleasure doing this trade with you."

Shortly after finishing her transaction with Raksa and Eki, the young woman unfolds her Sakura Hurricane, strapping the Deepest Harpoon to the Lock Vehicle's back, before opening the seat cover to place the shoebox containing Poseidon's Core Medals inside the seat compartment. As the woman placed the shoebox into the compartment, she took a moment to glance at two additional objects inside it.

A Genesis Driver and a crystal blue Energy Lockseed with a green and red cherry and the code **E.L.S-02** emblazoned on it in black.

 **xxx**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **xxx**

 **Minh: Hello dear readers! My name is Le Thao Minh…**

 **Wind: I'm Tran Bao Quyen, but you can call me Wind…**

 **Chan: My name is Tran Ngo Thuy Trang, also known as Chan…**

 **Sunny: I'm Nguyen Duong Minh Anh, better known as Sunny…**

 **Two: I'm Two, but my full name is Nguyen Phuoc Khanh Linh…**

 **Minh Trang: And I'm Nguyen Minh Trang, and you can call me Minh Trang!**

 **Minh: And we're here to say…**

 **CHUC MUNG TET NGUYEN DAN!**

 **Two: That roughly means "Happy Lunar New Year" in Vietnamese.**

 **Sunny: And also a big happy Lunar New Year to all of our Chinese friends! Whoop whoop!**

 **Minh: So, long story short, because this chapter's finished exactly on the day we Vietnamese celebrated our Lunar New Year, the author has asked us Vietnamese characters to present the closing A/N for this chapter!**

 **Minh Trang: Other than that, this chapter is also finished on the same day the main** _ **Kamen Rider War**_ **story finally published its 7** **th** **chapter! Talk about coincidence, eh?**

 **Chan: Yup! I've already read it and I have to say…it is asskickingly awesome!**

 **Wind: I sure hope this chapter is as awesome as NecroGodYami's…**

 **Minh: Amen to that! I hope you readers enjoyed Chapter 7 especially after the main story's Chapter 7 was published! So, as usual, don't forget to leave your kind reviews, because Mr. Author's really excited if someone reviews his story!**

 **Wind: It gives him motivation, you know! By the way Minh, do you want to tell our dear readers something?**

 **Minh: What is it?**

 **Sunny: The message that our author has given to us, silly!**

 **Minh: Ah yes! The author's going on a trip to Vietnam on the 21** **st** **so he won't be able to touch his trusted laptop…or us, sadly, until…March 5** **th** **, I guess?**

 **Minh Trang: But thankfully he had make it his priority that he'll try to make Chapter 8 before he goes to our lovely country. And if his juices are running well, it might be published before he departs!**

 **Chan: As if that's going to happen…**

 **Wind: A little optimism won't kill xD**

 **Minh: So, with that out of the way, it's time for us to go! This is Le Thao Minh on behalf of maxpower02…signing off~! ^_^**


End file.
